New Ulm Attractions Page

New Ulm's Glockenspiel is one of the world's few free-standing carillon clock towers. It stands 45 feet high. Its largest bourdon bell weighs 595 pounds, while the total weight of the bells is 2 tons. These bells chime the time of day in Westminster style, playing programmed pieces at noon, 3 and 5 p.m. (with an expanded schedule during festivals), and can also be played on a portable keyboard housed in the base of the tower. On the west side of the tower, beneath the bells and clock face, three animated polka band figures perform ten months out of the year, replaced by a Nativity scene from Thanksgiving until early January. Directly below these figures, a door slides up and a stage projects from the tower to reveal 12 three-foot-high animated figurines that depict the development and history of the city. These figures perform while the musical selections are playing.

The Lind House was built in 1887 on the corner of Center and State Streets for John Lind, Minnesota's 14th Governor. The house was designed by Frederick Thayer in the Queen Anne style and cost $5,000 to build. The house was the center of social, cultural, and state functions during the family's residence from 1887-1901. The graceful porch often served as Governor Lind's viewing stand for state and local events. In 1975 the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and political significance.

The house is open to visitors for tours and available for rental for social engagements and business meetings. Motor coach visitors are always welcome at the Lind House.

Take a monent and visit The John Lind House Web Site.

The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame encompasses all of Minnesota's music including classical, big band, blues, variety music, and old time. Minnesota's musical heritage can be viewed, studied and enjoyed at the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame Museum. Museum pieces include musical artifacts, antique instruments, Minnesota Music Hall of Fame Inductees' pictures and histories and so much more. New Ulm is proud to be the home of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. For more information,
call 507-354-7305 (MMHF Office between 10 AM & 2 PM)

Wanda Hazel Gag was the author of the classic children's book, Millions of Cats. Wanda was the daughter of Anton Gag and his wife, Lissi. The Gag house was built in 1894. Wanda Gag lived there until age 20. Much of the house has been restored and you can see artwork, creative decor and novelty windows in this house. This is all part of the rich New Ulm history.

Wanda Hazel Gag was an author, illustrator and artist. She was the oldest of seven children; her father and her maternal grandparents had emigrated from Bohemia. When she was fifteen, her father, Anton (a local artist and photographer), died, leaving the family penniless. Wanda took writing and illustrating jobs to support her family. A successful show at the Weyhe Gallery in New York in 1926 and publication in 1928 of her well-known and prototypical children's book Millions of Cats enabled her to give up work as a commercial artist and move to rural New Jersey, where she continued to produce drawings, lithographs, and children's books. Her artwork is in a number of major museum collections.

Leading up the gentle incline of Loretto Hill is the "Way of the Cross."  Its fourteen stations are introduced by

a shrine portraying the Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The exquisite statuary for these fourteen groups, and the shrine, were imported from Bavaria. Located midway is a grotto in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes. On the top of the hill is a chapel dedicated to the Mother of Sorrows.

The project was initiated by Fr. Alexander Berghold and Sister Flavia of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and completed in 1904. After the Sisters turned over Loretto Hospital to a nonprofit corporation, which is now the New Ulm Medical Center, the Way of the Cross was entrusted to the Diocese of New Ulm. The renovation has attempted to be faithful to every detail in preserving the historical nature of the Way of the Cross and Chapel. This century-old historic site is open to the public.

Unique in design and appearance with its German Renaissance Style, the Brown County Historical Society building was constructed in 1910 as the New Ulm Post Office. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and became the BCHS museum in 1984. The first-floor exhibit is “Stewards of the Land,” which highlights the history of Brown County’s Century Farms. The second floor features the “Ulm Room,” a gift from our Sister City, Ulm, Germany. In April 2009, “Brushstrokes From the Past,” an exhibit featuring Brown County artists of the past, will open in the second-floor gallery. The third-floor exhibit depicts the history of the Dakota War of 1862. These exhibits, along with the BCHS research library’s extensive family and historic files, help attract more than 7,000 visitors a year. The gift shop focuses on books about the history of the area and fun things to do and see in Brown County. Pick up a free walking tour brochure and acquaint yourself with historic sites, people and personalities of the city.

Unique in design and appearance with its German Renaissance Style, the Brown County Historical Society building was constructed in 1910 as the New Ulm Post Office. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and became the BCHS museum in 1984. The first-floor exhibit is “Stewards of the Land,” which highlights the history of Brown County’s Century Farms. The second floor features the “Ulm Room,” a gift from our Sister City, Ulm, Germany. In April 2009, “Brushstrokes From the Past,” an exhibit featuring Brown County artists of the past, will open in the second-floor gallery. The third-floor exhibit depicts the history of the Dakota War of 1862. These exhibits, along with the BCHS research library’s extensive family and historic files, help attract more than 7,000 visitors a year. The gift shop focuses on books about the history of the area and fun things to do and see in Brown County.

“It even smells like an old s t o r e ! ” M a n y   H a r k i n Store visitors first notice the smells—cinn a m o n , clove, camphor and l e m o n extract. Original patent medicine bottles, some still with their original contents, fill half of this 1870’s general store. The Harkin Store was built in 1870 in the thriving Minnesota River town of West Newton. Although letters and newspapers filling pigeonholes in the store’s post office brought news a-month-or-more old, the town was not isolated from outside events. When the railroad was completed nearby in 1873, river commerce began dwindling, and with it--West Newton. Grasshoppers boomed that year, devastating area agriculture for several years to come. When rural free delivery replaced the tiny post office in 1901, the store closed. The store was reopened by the grand-daughter as a museum in 1938, with much of its original stock and family treasures on the shelves. Today, restored to its 1870 appearance by the Minnesota Historical Society, it is operated by the Nicollet County Historical Society. The store offers visitors a glimpse of a town and time that have faded like a steamboat on a foggy day.

The New Ulm Battery is a civilian artillery unit of Civil War vintage -- believed to be the only one of its kind in the United States. It was formed as a defensive measure in January, 1863, six months after the Dakota attacks in the area, to protect New Ulm from any further attacks. The city was not attacked again, and the group has yet to fire a shot in anger. The unit’s 42 members dress in uniforms of Civil War vintage. Their equipment consists of three Civil War cannons, a howitzer, three caissons (the vehicles that carry the ammunition) and several sabers. The cannons are used for firing salutes and when the unit goes on special maneuvers. The mobile equipment is all horsedrawn. Eight teams and 10 horses carry the men and officers. The enlisted men ride on the seats of the equipment. No one walks. In 1914 the unit was turned over to the city, which has maintained it as a living bit of history ever since. The pageantry of its firing drill is an exciting sight to see. The Battery performs on Memorial Day and July Fourth and is always the highlight of any parade. You can walk by and see Battery items at 1st North & Broadway. The New Ulm Battery accepts local and out-of-town engagements. For more information contact John W. Fritsche, 354-4387, or New Ulm Battery, P.O. Box 611, New Ulm, MN 56073. www.newulmbattery.com

In 1856, Phillip Gross opened a hotel in a two-story wood frame building called the Minnesota Haus, which became the Union Hotel in 1860. The hotel soon became a focal point of activity in New Ulm, including serving as a hospital during the Dakota Conflict of 1862. Business flourished for the Union Hotel, which served travelers until July 1875 when it was destroyed by fire. Gross immediately built a new two-story brick hotel. He hired architect Julius Berndt, best known for the Hermann Monument, to design his new hotel.

Gross operated the Union Hotel until retiring in 1885; his son-in-law then managed the property for a short time. In 1899 Peter Manderfeld, the new owner of the Union Hotel, added a third floor, and changed the name to the Grand Hotel.