City leaders in New Ulm will review proposals Tuesday to make repairs on the iconic Hermann the German statue and its decorative base.
The 100-foot-tall bronze likeness of a Germanic warrior has overlooked New Ulm for more than a century, and has had several refurbishing projects in recent years.
"It seems to keep getting worse with the freeze thaw every year that we deal with in Minnesota," says New Ulm parks director Joey Schugel.
The big question is how to pay for the restoration project. The expected price tag is expected to be at least $10 million, and perhaps more, to refresh the 102-foot tall monument.
Hermann is on the National Register of Historic places, which means the project can be funded with government dollars.
The monument depicts Hermann the Cheruscan, the ancient hero whose army liberated Germany from Roman rule in 9 A.D. As German immigrants came to the United States, the legend of Hermann as the father of German independence and a symbol of honor and pride came with them.
In 1887, the national Order of Hermann’s Sons commissioned a statue of Hermann similar to the one in Germany to be erected in New Ulm. It took nearly a decade to complete the more than 4,000-pound statue, designated by the U.S. Congress in 2000 as a national symbol of German heritage.
The iconic but weathered statue needs over $10 million for a refresh
