New Ulm’s Herman the German Legend Takes New Twist

NEW ULM, Minn. (AP) - The legend of Hermann the German, the statue of a Germanic warrior that stands guard over New Ulm, has taken a new twist.

The New Ulm Convention and Visitors Bureau is billing a giant concrete cast of a footprint hanging outside its downtown office as Hermann's footprint.

Reports say the provenance of the 4-foot-long, 425-pound print is vague. Visitors Bureau manager Terry Sveine says they found the boxed up footprint while cleaning out the basement with a note indicating it might have been made in Germany, but that they don't know the whole story.

The 102-foot Hermann the German statue draws about 12,000 visitors annually. A plaque posted next to the footprint says touching it will lead people "to have more fun" in New Ulm.