Germany: New Visitor Center Planned for “Hermann Monument“ in North Rhine-Westphalia

The “Hermann Monument” (G.: Hermannsdenkmal) in the Teutoburg Forest region (Germany), commemorating the Cherusci war chief “Arminius” as the “first German” and his victory over Rome in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (in 9 AD), is the largest monument in the country, measuring 53.46 meters in height, including pedestal. In order to further increase the number of visitors and tourists eager to see “Hermann” in the long-term, the provincial federation of the Lippe region developed a masterplan for the site, including the construction of a visitor center. The offer for visitors should comprise Augmented/Virtual Reality applications as well as a 360-degree cinema. The call for tenders is scheduled to take place this summer, construction works then might begin in October this year. The opening of the new visitor center is scheduled for 2021.

The Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia has already pledged financial support for the project with a subsidy sum of around 1.84 million Euros.

“The Hermann Monument is […] one of the lighthouses in our state’s tourism industry. […] Nowadays, guests expect more than the opportunity to simply marvel at a monument. They expect unique experiences, thematically accompanying programs, offers for families and other target groups. Digitalization provides us with enormous prospects in tourism, which we have to capitalize on innovatively […],” comments State Secretary Christoph Dammermann.

Anke Peithmann, Chair of the provincial federation, adds, “The stories about Hermann and the monument do already exist, we don’t need to invent them. So the question is how to tell them: We plan and have to integrate historical content into modern technologies. With the visitor center we create new entertaining and educational offerings, which make use of these technologies […],” said Ms. Peithmann. (eap)