Religious ideal cities of the Moravian Church
The "Settlements of the Moravian Church" embody the concept of the ideal religious town. These settlements were shaped by the spiritual values of the Moravian Church - community, equality, simplicity and order - and this is clearly reflected in their architectural design.
At first glance, the appearance of Herrnhut and the other towns is not so unusual. What is special is that the individual settlements are connected to each other and, despite the great distances between them, are very similar in their urban and architectural design.
They follow a uniform basic pattern: a church hall, a central square, a churchyard and large communal buildings intended for the communal living of certain congregational groups (unmarried brothers, unmarried sisters, widows).
A common heritage
At the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Settlements of the Moravian Church" is the idea of cross-border solidarity. Each of the four settlements - Herrnhut in Germany, Christiansfeld in Denmark, Bethlehem in the USA and Gracehill in Northern Ireland - is part of a larger whole. Their recognition as UNESCO World Heritage Sites underlines the extraordinary universal significance of this transnational network of ideal religious towns.
It is particularly significant that the Moravian Church is still active as a church community in all four locations and that many historic buildings are still in use. Numerous intangible values, such as worship traditions, musical practice and a culture of remembrance, lend this architectural heritage a unique authenticity. This living heritage connects the settlements across national borders and preserves the shared ideals of the Moravian Church for future generations.
Herrnhut - place of origin of the Moravian Church
Herrnhut was founded in 1722 in Upper Lusatia in Saxony as a place of refuge for religious refugees from Bohemia and Moravia. Under the leadership of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, an independent religious community was established here. The foundations of the fraternal town planning were also laid in Herrnhut, which are visible in the characteristic "Herrnhut Baroque", the central rectangular square and the well thought-out arrangement of the church hall and churchyard. These features make Herrnhut a living heritage of the world.
On 26 July 2024, the "Settlements of the Moravian Church" were officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Congratulations to them!
Together with Christiansfeld in Denmark, Bethlehem in the USA and Gracehill in Northern Ireland, Herrnhut forms a new, transnational World Heritage Site. This is already the second UNESCO World Heritage Site in Upper Lusatia.
The settlements represent a global network of religious planned towns built by the Moravian Church between 1722 and 1808. They are a unique architectural phenomenon of the early modern period, characterized by carefully planned urban structures that corresponded to community values and needs. Despite their wide geographical distribution, they display a remarkable architectural uniformity of the highest quality craftsmanship. These four settlements impressively illustrate the ideal of orderly Christian community life, which is reflected both in the settlements themselves and in their global network to this day.
