Wir feiern Hermann!

Our Hermann celebrates - his 150th birthday

Allow me, Hermann is my name. With my sword drawn and my head held high, I have been looking out over Lippe for 150 years. Many people came to my completion as a monument on August 16, 1875. The most prominent guest was Kaiser Wilhelm I, but the most important was Ernst von Bandel, my "builder". It is thanks to him that I am the tallest statue in Germany with a figure height of 26.57 m and a total height of 53.56 m.

I was built to commemorate the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in the year 9 AD. Under the leadership of the Cheruscan prince Arminius, the Germanic tribes defeated the Roman legions under Publius Quinctilius Varus. Because Arminius ("Hermann") succeeded in uniting the Germanic tribes, he became a symbolic figure of the national unification movement at the beginning of the 19th century. Ernst von Bandel (1800-1876) was one of its supporters; as an architect and sculptor, he dedicated his life to the idea of creating a universal national symbol with me. Construction work began on the Grotenburg near Detmold in 1838, and 37 years later, on August 16, I was finished.

Today, I am THE landmark of Lippe - and extremely popular: more than 500,000 guests visit me every year. This year there will certainly be a few more, because my birthday party is coming up on August 16, 2025. Celebrate with me, I look forward to seeing you.