Hermann Monument (Hermannsdenkmal)

Hermann Monument is located on the top of a 386-meter hill and dedicated to the victory of the Germanic tribes over the Roman army led by Arminius in the year 9 AD. It is located in the Tevtonburg forest and has a height of over 53 meters, being one of the 25 tallest statues in the world.

After Napoleon captured Germany and made political fragmentation, the public was looking for characters and events that could personalize the idea of ??national unity and greatness of the German nation. In the early 19th century monuments appeared in different locations in Germany. Construction of the Hermann monument began in 1838, before the others, but stopped because of financial problems. It ended in 1875 with financial support from Kaiser Wilhelm.


Ernst von Bandel, author of the monument, believed that the battle occured exactly where the monument stands, but now we know that it took place a hundred kilometers to the north east.

In 2025, the infrastructure near the monument is still being reconstructed, an information centre and a restaurant have appeared, and a children's playground is being built.


















Getting there: By tourist bus #792 that cruises between Bad Pyrmont and Detmold. It pulls up to all tourist sites along the way, including the monument??. Check out the schedule and map of its route here. You can reach the sight by regular buses from Detmold or other cities nearby; look for timetables on bahn.de or kvg-lippe.de. Note that a regular public bus stops only at the bottom of the hill. For example, you can go uphill to the monument along the Denkmalstrasse Street from the Schling Vogelpark, Detmold bus stop. It will take you about 25-30 minutes. If you are traveling by car, there is a large parking place on the top.