The Hermannsdenkmal („Herman the German“, „Hermann monument“ engl.) is a monument (53.46 m tall) located in North Rhine Westphalia (Germany) in the Southern part of the Teutoburg Forest and stands on the densely forested and 386 m tall Teutberg. The construction was started in 1841 and finished 1875 with the help of substantial funds from the state of Prussia. The monument is decorated with the Cherusci war chief Hermann („Arminius“ latin) and presents the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in which the Germanic tribes a decisive victory in 9 AD over three Roman legions under Varus.
Hermann’s sword has the following inscription:
Deutsche Einigkeit, meine Stärke – meine Stärke, Deutschlands Macht.
German unity (is) my strength – my strength (is) Germany’s might.
The statue is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany with over 130,000 visitors a year and statue’s base may be climbed up and affording wide landscape views.
I took 3 different exposures (-2, 0, +2) and processed the pictures with Photomatix Pro and Photoshop.