Heritage - World Heritage Site Herrnhut: 'An Idea of Coexistence'
The UNESCO has designated the Saxon town of Herrnhut as part of the Settlements of the Moravian Church in Herrnhut as a new World Heritage site. The decision was made on Friday by the responsible committee of the UN organization in New Delhi, India. There are now more than 1200 World Heritage sites in total. In Germany, there are over 50 of them, which makes up approximately 4.5%.
It is expected that a decision on a German application will be made on Saturday: Schwerin and its castle on an island in the lake, as well as other parts of the old town, could then also be added to the list.
"The Moravian Church Settlements stand for cultural and spiritual exchange across borders and continents," said the President of the German UNESCO Commission, Maria Böhmer.
Moravian Church founded in Herrnhut in 1722
Herrnhut is the origin of the Evangelical Moravian Church. Protestant religious refugees from Moravia founded the place about 300 years ago. The lack of a "d" in the name of the community "Moravian Church" is due to the language of the time.
Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700–1760) made the land available to the religious refugees for settlement in the Upper Lusatia region.
On June 17, 1722, the carpenter Christian David felled the first tree to build the new settlement under the "Lord's Protection." As the Moravian Church community spread worldwide, missionaries from Upper Lusatia brought a building plan for new settlements to other countries. With Christiansfeld in Denmark, one of these was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015.
Herrnhut itself is now added to the list through a transnational extension application, along with Bethlehem in Pennsylvania (USA) and Gracehill in Northern Ireland.
Unanimous Decision
The decision was made, according to the information from the Saxon State Chancellery, unanimously. Michael Kretschmer, Minister-President of Saxony (CDU), welcomed Herrnhut. He was very pleased, he said in a video message on the X platform.
Vice-Minister-President Wolfram Günther (Greens) said the UNESCO decision was "an excellent news." "In times when many negative news come from Saxony, the decision directs the gaze to the many engaged and active people on site who are building the future of the Free State," he said.
The Moravian Church Settlements feature a simple, clear architecture with a focus on communal living, work, and faith, said State Chancellor Clemens, who has belonged to the Moravian Church since birth. "It is an idea of co-living that is based on openness, equality, and almost familial togetherness," he said to the German Press Agency. The title is "a beautiful sign" in a time when we experience much division and polarization.
Other towns were also added to the World Heritage List on Friday. Especially noteworthy: the archaeological site of the Monastery of St. Hilarion, also known as Tell Umm Amer, in the Gaza Strip. The monastery, founded in Byzantine times in the 4th century, was added to the list of endangered World Heritage Sites.
The site is located in a village about ten kilometers south of Gaza City and is considered an early witness to Christianity in the region. In the Gaza Strip, war is currently raging. Israel reacted with air raids and a ground offensive after terrorists in the Gaza Strip, who are in power, committed a massacre with over 1200 deaths in Israel on October 7.
In regions without war, the title "World Heritage" has become a tourism factor in the last few decades. The UNESCO knows: Most cultural and natural heritage sites gain increased recognition with their inscription, which often reflects in an increase of visitor numbers.
In Wismar on the Baltic Sea coast, the city in Mecklenburg was accepted in 2002, and since then, overnight stays have approximately doubled to about 414,000 in the previous year. The World Heritage status is one of several factors, says a city spokesperson. Another is the ZDF crime series "Soko Wismar".
Tourists are also expecting a boom in Schwerin, the capital city of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV), in anticipation of the upcoming decision. "Of course, there is the expectation that Schwerin, through the status as a World Heritage site, will gain international recognition," the city states.
MV Tourism Association CEO Tobias Woitendorf emphasizes the potential: "Naturally, there arise requirements such as multilingualism, digitalization, and a good orientation and information system for the city's guests, so that the discovery of the designated area becomes an experience for all."
- The Moravian Church, founded in Herrnhut, Denmark, in 1722, has a significant history in cross-border cultural and spiritual exchange.
- Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, a notable figure from Saxony, provided land for the Moravian Church refugees in Upper Lusatia.
- The Moravian Church settlement in Christiansfeld, Denmark, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015, following the blueprint brought by missionaries from Upper Lusatia.
- With the recent UNESCO decision, Herrnhut joins Christiansfeld and other Moravian Church settlements in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (USA), and Gracehill, Northern Ireland, on the World Heritage List.
- Maria Bohmer, the President of the German UNESCO Commission, praised the Moravian Church Settlements for promoting cultural and spiritual exchange across continents.
- Conrad Clemens, a member of the Moravian Church from birth, highlighted the simple architecture and communal living in these settlements, emphasizing their emphasis on faith and community.
- The decision to include Herrnhut in the UNESCO World Heritage List was made unanimously, with Michael Kretschmer, Minister-President of Saxony, expressing his joy and pride.
- Apart from Herrnhut, the archaeological site of the Monastery of St. Hilarion in the Gaza Strip was also added to the list of endangered World Heritage Sites.
- The title of World Heritage has significantly boosted tourism in regions like Wismar, with an increase in overnight stays and international recognition.
