thumb|Aerial view of the Hermannsdenkmal

The Hermann Memorial () is a monument located southwest of Detmold in the district of Lippe (North Rhine-Westphalia), in Germany. It stands on the densely forested ', sometimes also called the Teutberg or Teut, a hill (elevation 386 m) in the Teutoburger Wald (Teutoburg Forest) range. The monument is located inside the remains of a circular rampart.

The monument was constructed between 1838 and 1875 to commemorate the Cherusci war chief Arminius (in German, Hermann) and his victory over Rome at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. When the statue was built, its location was believed to be near the original battle site, although experts now consider it more likely that the battle took place near Kalkriese, about 100 km to the north-west.

Background

In 9 AD, Arminius, a chieftain of the Cherusci people and an auxiliary cavalry commander, turned against his Roman allies and led an alliance of Germanic tribes to ambush three legions under the leadership of provincial governor Publius Quinctilius Varus. The vast majority of the Roman legions were destroyed. To Rome and its Emperor Augustus the loss was a catastrophe and called the "Varian disaster".

This event later came to be seen as a vital turning point in Middle-European history as it may have been instrumental in limiting the advance of the Roman Empire into Germania. In the 1520s, Arminius was equated with the name "Hermann", perhaps first by Martin Luther.

Germany was among those countries where nationalism became a rising force in the 19th century as opposition to aristocratic rule increased. Equating the nation with all of its people rather than just with its rulers was a revolutionary idea at the time. In Germany, it became entwined with the hopes of many for an end to the disunity that had ruled the Holy Roman Empire at least since the Peace of Westphalia. Nationalists wanted one of the German princes to unite all of Germany under a single rule. In this regard, Arminius came to be seen as a symbol, since he allegedly had "united" the Germanic tribes. Reports by Roman historians on internecine fighting among the tribes were deliberately ignored.

Statue

The statue faces west. This reflects the idea that Varus' troops were coming from this direction. It is also intended to confront France, considered to be the Erbfeind (sworn enemy) of Germany in the 19th century. The subject wears clothes deemed historically accurate at the time and has a body shape which the designer considered to be "typically Germanic". The right arm holds the sword pointing upward. The left is supported by a large shield. The statue's left foot rests on a Roman Eagle, the standard of the Roman Legions. Next to it lies a fasces, the symbol of Roman judicial authority.

The term "Herman the German" is also commonly used by English speakers as an affectionate name for the Hermannsdenkmaland also as a jocular term for (male) Germans in general.

See also

  • Befreiungshalle (Kelheim, Germany)
  • Heldenberg Memorial (Austria)
  • List of tallest statues
  • Niederwalddenkmal (Rüdesheim, Germany)
  • Ruhmeshalle (Munich, Germany)
  • Vercingétorix monument (France)
  • Walhalla temple (Regensburg, Germany)

References

Bibliography

  • Andreas Dörner: Politischer Mythos und Symbolische Politik. Sinnstiftung durch Symbolische Formen. Opladen 1995, .
  • Günter Engelbert (ed.): Ein Jahrhundert Hermannsdenkmal 1875–1975. Detmold 1975.
  • Roswitha Kaiser: Hermann: Denkmal, Pflege und Inszenierung. (PDF; 1,4 MB) In: Denkmalpflege in Westfalen-Lippe. 01/07. LWL, Ardey, Münster, 2007. , pp. 13–18
  • Stephanie Lux-Althoff (ed.): 125 Jahre Hermannsdenkmal: Nationaldenkmale im historischen und politischen Kontext. Lemgo 2001, .
  • Burkhard Meier: Das Hermannsdenkmal und Ernst von Bandel. Detmold 2000, .
  • Dirk Mellies: „Wir kämpfen unter Hermanns Zeichen bis alle unsere Feinde bleichen“. Die politische Rezeption des Hermannsdenkmals 1914–1933. in: Hermann Niebuhr und Andreas Ruppert (ed.): Krieg – Revolution – Republik. Detmold 1914–1933: Dokumentation eines stadtgeschichtlichen Projekts. Bielefeld 2006, pp. 335–373, .
  • Thomas Nipperdey: Nationalidee und Nationaldenkmal in Deutschland im 19. Jahrhundert. in: Historische Zeitschrift 206 (1968), pp. 529–585.
  • Georg Nockemann: Hermannsdenkmal. (Lippische Sehenswürdigkeiten, Heft 3). 2. edition, Lemgo 1984.
  • Imke Ritzmann: Ideengeschichtliche Aspekte des Hermannsdenkmals bei Detmold. in: Lippische Mitteilungen 75 (2006), pp. 193–229.
  • Hans Schmidt: Das Hermannsdenkmal im Spiegel der Welt. Detmold 1975.
  • Charlotte Tacke: Denkmal im sozialen Raum. Nationale Symbole in Deutschland und Frankreich im 19. Jhdt.: Göttingen 1995, .
  • Michael Zelle: Das Hermannsdenkmal (Lippische Kulturlandschaften, Heft 25). Detmold 2014
  • News on fundraising activity for the monument from 18 November 1838
  • Monument on the town of Detmold website