Join us in celebrating the inscription of the Historic Moravian Bethlehem District in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to the UNESCO World Heritage List!
Established in 1741 as a planned community, the Historic Moravian Bethlehem District was the religious and administrative center of Moravian activities in North America. The Bethlehem district, along with two other historic Moravian Church Settlements in Gracehill, Northern Ireland/UK and Herrnhut, Germany now join Christiansfeld, Denmark (inscribed in 2015) as a single World Heritage site, the Moravian Church Settlements.
The Moravian sites collectively represent the outstanding universal value of these historic settlements and the worldwide influence of the Moravian Church. Bethlehem’s inscription on the World Heritage List is the first transnational, serial nomination put forth by the United States and is the result of a decades-long effort on the part of Bethlehem, the Moravian Church, the National Park Service (NPS), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the U.S. National Committee of ICOMOS. This designation is UNESCO’s 26th World Heritage Site in the United States.
With its intact core of original buildings, the Historic Moravian Bethlehem District preserves some of the most important structures and sites relating to the Moravians in the Americas and is significant as an outstanding example of Moravian architecture and town planning. The settlement played a key role in both the international and American Moravian communities.
Located in the heart of downtown Bethlehem, the site spans 10 acres. It includes nine structures, four ruins, and God’s Acre cemetery, all within the Historic Moravian Bethlehem National Historic Landmark District. The District preserves and advances the values of education, equality, industry, integrity, and spirituality that have been part of the community since 1741.
NPS supported this effort with the full cooperation of property owners, the City of Bethlehem, Bethlehem Area Moravians and Moravian University. Inclusion of a site in the World Heritage List does not affect U.S. sovereignty or management of the sites. More information about the sites and the World Heritage nomination process is available on NPS.gov.
Learn more:
- the Moravian Church Settlement World Heritage Listing
- Bethlehem Becomes a World Heritage Site
- Interior Department Celebrates Selection of Pennsylvania’s Historic Moravian Bethlehem District to UNESCO World Heritage List
