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Sep 20, 2009 10:42 pm US/Central
Finding Minnesota: Story Of Hermann The German
NEW ULM, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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All weekend long, the people of New Ulm celebrated the 2,000-year anniversary of Hermann the German's victory in battle.
By now, many Minnesotans have seen the famous statue of
Hermann the German overlooking the city of New Ulm. But how many of you know Hermann's story?
He's actually a war hero from the year 9 A.D. And all weekend long, the people of New Ulm have been celebrating the 2,000-year anniversary of his victory in battle.
"Hermann is a big deal in New Ulm," said local author Wendy Enter. "He doesn't have business cards, but he has placards on every street and most businesses in New Ulm."
The city likes to think of itself as the "most German city in America," with 67 percent of its residents claiming German heritage in the 2000 census. Its tall statue of Hermann has stood over the city for more than a century.
Legend has it that Hermann, a Roman citizen of German descent, crafted a secret plan to stop Caesar Augustus and his army from expanding the Roman Empire into Germany. He led an ambush of Roman forces in the Teutoborg Forest, leaving as many as 20,000 Roman soldiers dead.
"He knew something of Roman tactics and he carefully planned this ambush," said John Makepeace of New Ulm. "They took advantage of the Romans, they strung them out over a series of miles in terrain that they couldn't fight in their normal battle style."
"If my understanding is correct, (it was) a 3-day battle where three Roman legions were annihilated," said Rodney Zimmer, a New Ulm tavern owner.
Zimmer, Makepeace and other townspeople were selected to portray various characters from that period during New Ulm's celebration this weekend of Hermann's Victory. Zimmer, who stands 6-feet-6-inches, was cast as Hermann.
"My responsibilities? To uphold the Hermann image as best as I possibly can," said Zimmer, with a laugh.
Dozens of history re-enactors from around the United States -- and even other countries -- flew in to play the roles of Romans and Barbarians this weekend.
Hermann has been good for tourism in New Ulm.
"People all over the state know us for our German-ness," said local historian George Glotzbach. "And it's a reputation you couldn't buy. I mean, (if you would) spend millions of dollars in advertising, you could not buy the reputation we have for this place."
New Ulm's memorial features the second largest copper clad statue in America. Second only to the Statue of Liberty. But there is a larger Hermann statue in the
German town of Detmold.
Glotzbach said, "I've been there a couple of times and the Germans in Detmold like to say 'Wir haben die grossen Hermann' (We have the big Hermann). 'Sie haben die kleine Hermann' (You've got the little Hermann)."
The people of New Ulm hope this weekend's celebration helped people of all backgrounds appreciate what Hermann stood for.
"We pay a price for our freedoms," Enter said. "And if we can help people remember that someone like Hermann paid a price for his freedom, it will also ignite our hearts and inspire us."
The Victory Festival ended Sunday evening, but the city still has a big
Oktoberfest celebration, the first two weekends next month.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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