Overview
- The Landesverband Lippe will host a major celebration on 16 August to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Ernst von Bandel’s monument
- The statue draws around 500,000 visitors a year, making it one of Germany’s most frequented historical landmarks
- After the original Bandelhütte was lost to fire in 2021, the Hermanneum opened in 2024 to provide digital exhibits and a widescreen cinema focused on the monument’s history
- Scholars remain divided over the exact Varus battle site, with most favoring finds at Kalkriese while regional guides uphold the Teutoburger Wald tradition
- Constructed with riveted copper plates over an internal tube skeleton, the 53.46-metre monument has been conservation-listed since 1985 and endured wartime damage requiring careful restoration