Thousands of people pass by the Central Moravian Church and the 18th-century buildings along Church Street in Bethlehem every day. Others walk and jog along the Monocacy Creek in the city’s Colonial Industrial Quarter. Yet, not everyone is aware of the origins of the city’s beautiful and charming historic district.
Now, visitors from across the region and throughout the nation have the opportunity to discover the history of Bethlehem’s early Moravian community and its enduring impact on the United States as they embark on the new World Heritage Tour presented by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS). The 90-minute guided walking tour, a collaboration between Central Moravian Church and HBMS, takes place every Saturday at 2 p.m. and is led by a guide dressed in 18th-century Moravian attire.
The World Heritage Tour, which focuses on an approximately two-square-block area in Bethlehem where the Moravians established their settlement in the 1740s, allows attendees to go inside the 1741 Gemeinhaus, 1751 Old Chapel and 1803-1806 Central Moravian Church Sanctuary (based on availability), three of the buildings that are included in Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem, the newest World Heritage site in the United States. In addition, they will see all of the other buildings and sites included in the approximately 10-acre World Heritage site, the 26th in the nation.
World Heritage Tours, which begin at the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, 66 W. Church St., Bethlehem, are led by an HBMS docent dressed in period attire and specifically trained to share the unique characteristics and innovativeness that led the Moravians to become a community of “firsts” in our fledgling nation. During the tour, attendees will visit the 1741 Gemeinhaus, the Moravians’ community house and first place of worship in Bethlehem. The 1741 Gemeinhaus has the distinction of being the oldest building in Bethlehem and the only 18th-century Moravian Gemeinhaus still in existence in the world.
Tour attendees will also visit the 1751 Old Chapel, Bethlehem’s second place of worship, and Central Moravian Church, whose sanctuary was completed in 1806. Plus, they will stop in the Bell House Courtyard to see the 1746 Bell House, 1744 Single Sisters’ House, and 1768 Widows’ House, as well as visit God’s Acre, the cemetery that was the final resting place for Bethlehem-area Moravians from 1742-1911.
“Central Moravian Church is thrilled to be a part of the living heritage of the Moravian Church Settlements-Bethlehem World Heritage designation as we actively worship and practice our Moravian faith in the 21st century,” said Rev. Janel Rice, Senior Pastor at Central Moravian Church. “These buildings represent a historic and living church that recognizes the 18th-century call to build community and treat each other with love and respect, which is as necessary today as it was for our Moravian ancestors.”
The World Heritage Tour concludes on Bethlehem’s Main Street with a look at the 1748 Second Single Brethren’s House and the Colonial Industrial Quarter’s 1761 Tannery and 1762 Waterworks, the first pumped municipal water system in the country. Considered to be the United States’ first industrial park, the Colonial Industrial Quarter was a thriving community of approximately 35 crafts, trades, and industries during its height in the mid-1700s.
“The Moravians’ approach to city planning, education, and industry were truly impressive for their time,” said Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Vice President and Managing Director Lindsey Jancay. “This tour is designed to give attendees an inside look at life in Bethlehem during the mid-18th century while also shining the spotlight on all of the sites included in the Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem World Heritage site.
“From developing the first pumped municipal water system in America to providing the same educational opportunities for both women and men, the Moravians were influential in helping to shape our country. Their story is one that will fascinate anyone interested in history, architecture, regional culture, or heritage tourism.”
The World Heritage Tour offered by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites and Central Moravian Church is the only guided tour that covers all the properties and sites included in the Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem World Heritage site. In addition to the World Heritage Tour, all attendees receive free admission and a guided tour of the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem.
Inscribed on the World Heritage list in July 2024, Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem is joined with the Moravian Settlements in Christiansfeld, Denmark; Gracehill, Northern Ireland; and Herrnhut, Germany as a single World Heritage site, making it the United States’ only transnational World Heritage site. The uniting of these four locations into a single World Heritage site is designed to highlight the outstanding universal value of these well-preserved Moravian communities and the Moravian Church’s influence around the globe. The living cultural traditions of the Moravians, including their timeless values of education, equality, innovation, and spirituality, have helped shape their communities for centuries.
For tickets and more information on the World Heritage Tour, visit historicbethlehem.org.
The 1741 Gemeinhaus, the oldest building in Bethlehem, is one of 10 buildings and sites that are part of the new World Heritage site.
Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem was inscribed as the nation’s 26th World Heritage Site in July 2024.
