Climbing Herman's Monument (Original Photography)
Howdy,
It's official! The huge monument to Herman the German (Arminius) is open for the season! The prominent feature of the town of New Ulm, Minnesota's skyline, this structure is a scaled-down version of one in Germany. For $3.00, one may enter the surrounding gate and climb to the top.
Afraid of heights?
A 10mm ultra-wide lens almost makes this look like the bording system for a UFO. I wonder why they didn't make the central column thicker and use an enclosed stairway. The structure could have been open all year long, if they had done that.
Fancy Staircase
Last summer, I was disappointed when the opening date was pushed back almost two months. It was probably for the best, though. The structure was inspected and found to be in need of repairs. The entry fee went up fifty cents in order to help cover the costs.
Almost There
While not exactly afraid of heights, this last little ladder always makes me a little extra cautious. I've seen mhuch heavier people than me climb it, but it looks fragile, somehow.
In the Dome
This is where many who fear heights get stuck, if they're able to make it up that external stairway. The windows offer a nice view of the surrounding area, although not quite as nice as the one from just under Herman's boot. If you're wondering why one of the bars has padding, climb up and find out! Everyone over about five feet tall finds out the hard way!
Keeping This Title PG
There isn't a whole lot of room up on the very top. To keep things safe, they only let a certain number of people up on the busiest days. You could probably get about ten people up there, safely. Incidentally, I could, then, take a photo of you and your nine friends from the ground with my fancy 70-200mm lens!
New Ulm Scenery
I would absolutely love to be able to go up here at night and get a panorama of New Ulm but, alass, they don't allow that. A drone would work just as well, I suppose. Actually, it would be a blast (sorry!) to be inside the dome during the 4th of July fireworks! They shoot them off very close by.
I've been trying to get a photo of Herman being struck by lightning for years, now. The closest I've gotten is when cloud-to-cloud lightning arced just above him. From the park below, there's a pavilion with a great view of him but, even though he is grounded and does get struck by lightning, he always seems to dodge the bolts when I'm there. The staff at the Brown County Historical Museum in downtown New Ulm were very helpful with figuring these details out.
Thank you for taking a look! If you enjoy my work, please click the upvote button. Comments are also greatly appreciated.
@fotosdenada
Thanks for the view while climbing! Are the steps metal or wood? I've been thinking of getting a drone, just to chase our Canadian Geese (we use fireworks to disperse them currently :)
Ooh! I forgot to say the stairs are metal. They're pretty solid around the column, but that last ladder looks rickety and held together by a few bolts...
Awww! Poor goosies! They deserve being chased, though. They can be mean! There's a park in Rochester that they stay at year-round, and the geese will hiss and bite at people sometimes.
Drones seem pretty fun, although they're really over-regulated. People are so worried about people spying in their homes... lol. I'd be more worried about a creeper with a huge lens. They might actually be able to see in your home!
hehe, I used to use a homemade potato gun to chase the geese off my lawn but the fireworks are more fun :)
I agree the drone regs are crazy. In Florida, they have fined people $250,000 if they don't get a license to operate...crazy. When the drone craze first hit, we were on a cruise and saw someone playing with their drone from their balcony. The drone flew off and never came back! It was so bad it was funny :)
Drone pilot fail! Lol. Some of them have homing features to return to where they were launched in case of low battery or lost connection. On a moving ship, that position will NOT be where the pilot is!
I love how they flying a drone is so "pervy" and needs to be regulated. Meanwhile, I can fly an RC airplane with a much bigger payload and range, no problem.
Just to make a statement, I should build my own RC plane, using a 300mm lens as the body. Make it bright pink and drag a banner that says "CREEPER" :-) Someone would probably shoot it with a potato canon! lol
Haaa, it wouldn't be my potato gun lol!
Howdy sir fotosdenada! wow what a monument! That thing is majestic. And that's only a small version of it? What did that guy do?
Herman (Arminius in Latín) fought in the Roman armies. Eventually, he united the disorganized Germanic tribes against the Romans and used his knowledge of their tactics to lead the tribes to victory.
Shortly thereafter, he was murdered.
haha! I was so impressed until you said he got murdered. Dang. After all that fighting.
Ok, so the town in MN is a big German settlement, at least originally, right? So I can see
why the monument.
What a succinct biography! The last sentence made me laugh out loud, even though it probably shouldn't have.
Well, I think I got all the important basics! What kind of heroic war leader wants a long and tranquil life, anyway? lol
I see there's a New Ulm, TX. I'm guessing there must have been a few German sellers in that area, too.
oh very good, I see that, down by Houston. Had to be another German settlement for sure, did you see if there were any in other states?
Just the two, in the US. They both popped up when I was checking the weather for the New Ulm up here. You would think a "smart phone" would realize that I'm a long way from Texas and just assume I was after Minnesota...
hahaha! that's funny sir fotosdenada! Hey is this the last year of school AND teaching?
I remember Herman from past posts of yours. He's so much bigger than I thought he was now that I see him up close. Pretty cool climb. It's a neat place architecturally. The whole place has so many details to look at like the designs in the light colored ceiling and brickwork in other ceiling shots. Some fireworks shots would be fun. Too bad you can sneak up there to get them.
This one is a half-scale version of the one in Germany, apparently. I'd love to see that one! I wonder if you can climb it, though. Oddly enough, the one in Germany isn't much oler than this one. It was finished in 1875, and this one was finished in 1897... According to Wikipedia, anyway.
Good ol' Hermann! Great photos, but how did he end up in New Ulm?
The town was founded by German settlers. I'd have to revisit the local museum to be sure when and how it was put together, but it's from the second half of the 19th century.
Another fine thing those Germans did was build a brewery. Surprisingly, it's still family-owned. I'm planning on visiting that again in the near future. The tour is only $5 and comes with a taste test and a pint of your choice afterwards.
It is a beautiful Monument!
I really wished that I liked beer. JR Schugel trucking was from New Ulm. A bit of remembered trivia from the days when we owned a truck stop that was halfway between Chicago and the Cities. That's the only thing I ever knew about New Ulm!
What an impressive place, I thought it looked like a UFo or some sort of spaceship in the first shot,
That last set of stairs do look a bit fragile I can understand why some people would get stuck there,I think I would go up them but can never say for sure without being there
There are a lot of people that won't climb the main staircase, just because it's open. It seems solid enough, but you can see through the gaps underneath and, of course, the view off the side lets you know how high you are. It doesn't help that Herman is also on top of a hill, giving even more of a sense of being high up!
I know my wife would never go up there, But I used to climb and build communications towers so going up there would more than likely be a breeze for me, but then she would ride a cable car, which I have a real phobia with and except for one recently I had not ridden one for 30 years and probably never will again