Jay T

2.00 USA - 03-Aug-22 -

I know much has been written about Christiansfeld already, but I don't yet see a review from the perspective of one who has visited a component of the proposed extension to the World Heritage Site before visiting Denmark. In the spring of 2021 I took a road trip to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to learn more about the Moravian Church Settlements Tentative World Heritage Site extension to Christiansfeld. I came away from the trip with a much richer understanding of the role of the Moravian Church in early America, and the innovations they brought to the young country. The trip gave me high hopes for my visit to Christiansfeld when I traveled to Denmark last month, but unfortunately I left disappointed.

The most striking difference for me between Bethlehem and Christiansfeld was the lack of signage and information about the Moravian Church in Christiansfeld. Some of that can be attributed to the lack of an official tour at Christiansfeld, something I was able to arrange in Bethlehem. Perhaps because of that, but also because of the signs and onsite personnel, I gained a much better understanding about the history and impact of the Moravian Church, with its focus on mission and community and hard work, at Bethlehem than I did at Christiansfeld. Christiansfeld was built later than Bethlehem, but has many of the same components -- the simple and central church, the choir houses for men and women, God's Acre (the cemetery), the school for girls that was a novelty for its time. Christiansfeld, like Bethlehem, valued hard work and trades: in Bethlehem, the Moravians created one of the earliest industrial parks in America, and in Christiansfeld, the Moravians developed skills in stovemaking (the stoves can be seen in the Sisters' House) and baking honey cakes. However, had I not previously visited Bethlehem, I'm confident I wouldn't have learned what little I did about Christiansfeld by having questions ready to ask of the women working at the store in the Sisters' House; the lack of available information is something that really should be rectified.

It was Solivagant's recent review of Gracehill, United Kingdom -- another component of the proposed extension -- that helped bring into focus some of the mixed feelings I had about Christiansfeld. In Christianfeld's nomination package, they chose to focus on the city planning aspect to make a case that Christiansfeld was the best representation of a Moravian settlement, downplaying other sites because of their placement of the Brothers' or Sisters' Houses or of God's Acre; or for a lack of symmetry. By doing so, I can't help feeling like Christiansfeld's push to become a World Heritage Site on its own first, rather than as a transnational nomination, went against the Moravian Church's values, particularly when it comes to equality. Additionally, Christiansfeld appeared to be missing a component of the Moravian ethos that I easily learned about in Bethlehem -- the longstanding commitment to missionary outreach, which in Bethlehem started with the local Lenape people. In short, while Christiansfeld has a distinctive outward appearance, I feel like the site itself missed the heart of the Moravian Church, by not explaining how the church's principles of equality, communal living, hard work, and missionary outreach are reflected throughout the town. For that I give the edge to Bethlehem, and it makes me feel much stronger that Christiansfeld should both be extended as a trasnational World Heritage Site, and that Christiansfeld should improve its onsite communication to visitors about how its buildings and layout display the Moravian ethos. While I would give two stars to Christiansfeld, I would give an extra half star if it were extended to be a transnational site.

Logistics: Christiansfeld is probably easiest to reach by private transportation, although there are some options by train and bus from Copenhagen. Parking was relatively easy to find in the town.

Solivagant

2.00 UK - 02-Jul-22 -

Well – what a strange site suddenly to appear on the UK T List in Jan 22, despite its decennial overall T List review process starting in Mar 22! WHS Community members knew of course of the transnational activity on the subject of “Moravian Settlements” and that it was probably coming, but I suspect that you could be lucky to find 1 in 1000 GB citizens who has even heard of the place. It gets a mention (but no stars) in Michelin Ireland and in LP, but its UK tourism and cultural footprint rests only a trifle above zero.

In the Portrush Tourist office the lady asked where we were staying that night… “Near to Gracehill” we replied. In the subsequent exchanges it emerged that she presumed that we were referring to the ONLY “Gracehill” current in conversation! This is some place called “Gracehill House” which, the Web tells me, is “home to door 7, featuring the Three-Eyed Raven permeate and the Stark Direwolf sigil” (whatever they are!) and is situated a few miles from Portrush, close to the “Dark Hedges” (See "Gracehill golf course" to the north)……whereas “our” Gracehill was a small village situated around 20 miles further south near Ballymena. Of this she knew as little as we do of the World of “Game of Thrones” which, it appears, is a major player in NI tourism with multiple filming locations attracting visitors from around the World.

In June 22 we rolled in to “our” Gracehill at around 6pm and spent c1 hour “seeing” it as the only visitors there. When we had done our planning, a surprise was that the Museum, situated in the Old School House, claimed to be open (and “free”) 9.00 - 21.00 daily (Sun 12.00 – 20.00). This does indeed seem to be the case since most of the building has been rented out to a restaurant and as offices – so the museum is “open” as per their hours. It consists of one room containing information boards about the Moravian church in general and Gracehill in particular, together with some artifacts – documents, clothing etc, but is not itself “historic” in any way other than being in an original building. There is a reception desk - unmanned when we were there. A “historic” (?) “school room” beyond is apparently used to play a video for group visits and may or may not be open during the day but was locked to us.. A very useful pamphlet describing the village was available but only 1 copy remained at 6pm! 

A few points from our subsequent tour of the Village

a. There are around a dozen “original” buildings spread around a hedged and grassed village square with a pond and mature trees (Photo 1). In addition, short Brother’s and Sister’s “Walks” lead to and from “God’s Acre” behind the church – the burial ground with its characteristic gravestones as per reviews of the Christianfeld WHS. The atmosphere is rural and peaceful. Although the village also has modern developments, these are reasonably well hidden from the historic village centre.

b. The buildings are identified via small plaques (situated inconveniently inside the hedge surrounding the square) simply as e.g “The Single Brethren House”, “The Widows House” and “The Weaving Manufactory”. Unfortunately all are private houses and all you can gather is their common exterior architectural style. Although the village lay-out is traditional “Moravian” the architecture is “Georgian” using local stone. Only the church is of a possibly “Moravian” design with its separate entrances and seating for males and females.

c. The Church (Photo 2) is also closed however and its high windows mean that it is difficult even to peek inside to see and understand its layout and the male/female axes behind their respective doors. There are a couple of outside seats which one can stand on and discern 2 (mainly clear) glass windows containing small pictures of Hus, Zinzendorf, Cennick, Boehler, Comenius and Wycliffe - but nothing "fancy"!! The Village Web site indicates that prearranged, chargeable guided group tours do visit but otherwise it would seem that the only way to do so would be to be there at the time of a service.

d. The “Gods Acre” gravestones are laid out chronologically as you walk from the entrance. It was interesting to note that the latest ones for 2021 still adhered to the Male/Female separation practice - though they have become a little more “fancy”!

We found the visit interesting and worthwhile as a short diversion off our main route. However, the inability to talk to anyone living in the village (“Moravian” or otherwise - how many villagers are isn't clear) or to visit the Church were major downsides. The Moravians never became significant in UK (Even at the end of 18th C there were only around 5000 members in UK and in 2016 there were c1200 across 30 congregations of which Gracehill is one) and the presence of this village on the List would say little about the country - other than to indicate the degree of religious tolerance which was available there by the mid 18th C (at least to non conformist groups - The Moravian church was “recognized” by Act of Parliament in 1749).

The biggest role played by Moravians in UK religious and social history was to have influenced John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. He had initial contact with them during a trip to the American colonies in 1735, had his “conversion experience” in a Moravian meeting in London in 1738 and subsequently visited Hernhutt (More here ). For a range of reasons Non-Conformism in the UK was to take its own path with Wesley’s “Methodism” growing out of the Church of England and becoming the major such denomination. The individual most responsible for the creation of Gracehill was an English evangelist John Cennick (1718-55) who, at one time, was a close associate of Wesley. The Moravian congregation set up by him in Ballymena acquired land from the local Lord in 1759 and the church had been built by 1765. As far as I can discover the congregations were all local people and the fact that their religion was identified as “Moravian” should not be taken to imply any influx from Europe to populate the village.

I note that the nomination seems likely to emphasize the positive aspect of “Tolerance” as demonstrated by the Moravians - especially given the location in Northern Ireland, “infamous” for its cultural divide and intolerance (even if such a reputation is not always justified). “The Irish perspective gives the Moravian Settlement here unique historical, cultural, social, educational and religious features. For example, as far back as 1798 Gracehill was seen as “a place of refuge” for all sides during the United Irishmen’s Rebellion.” (commemorated by an obelisk in the village square.). I did note that one of the most recent (male) gravestones had an inscription stating “For ever Scottish” and would have liked to explore further the extent to which the Moravians of Gracehill are very much a part of the Ulster Scottish tradition which is more normally associated with Presbyterianism. I am not an expert in these sectarian nuances but Moravians and Presbyterians are certainly closely linked. In USA they have a formal relationship and in UK have discussed creating a “full communion”. I quote from Wiki – “Count Zinzendorf's ideal was a fellowship of all Christians, regardless of denominational names, and the Moravian Brethren sought in the Diaspora not to convert people to the Moravian Church but to awaken the hearts of believers and make them better members of the churches to which they already belonged”.

When Cristiansfeld was inscribed as a single Moravian Settlement in 2015 ICOMOS wasn’t very happy that it had gone ahead alone and the UNESCO recommendation was for there to be a transnational extension. The Christiansfeld Nomination file compared 27 Moravian settlements around the world for ability to meet UNESCO requirements. Gracehill came 6th – behind Christiansfeld, but significantly ahead of the other "T Listed" extension sites at Herrnhut and Bethlehem. The points assigned in the the original evaluation were as follows “Christiansfeld scores highest….receiving all 160 points. It is followed by Gnadau with 135; Ebersdorf and Lititz with 130; Königsfeld and Salem with 125; and Grace Hill with 120p”. The assessment for the latter was “Grace hill has been exceptionally well protected, yet the settlement lacks its original Common House/Gemeinlogis and original Sisters’ House”. All 3 locations are now on their respective countries’ T Lists (in what would appear to have been a coordinated action) and I would presume that inscription will be reasonably automatic. However, despite this activity, the Grace Hill Web site section on World Heritage gives no indication of a possible nomination date.

Quite why the other sites which were rated more highly than Gracehill have been excluded or are currently unable/unwilling to progress isn’t clear – though the original ICOMOS evaluation pointed out that a serial transnational site could legitimately be “populated” over “several Nomination cycles” so there may yet be further nominations for historic sites in countries such as Tanzania (most of the World's c1 million Moravians live in E Africa), Nicaragua/Honduras (Miskito peoples are significant adherents) and beyond!! Since one of the “special” attributes of the Church has been its Worldwide “mission” it would seem more appropriate to look further afield rather than just adding more and more “similar” European/US sites. This selection of photos from a Web search for "Moravian Missions" shows that there is plenty to go at around the World if the desire to move beyond Europe/USA were present!  

Caspar Dechmann

1.50 Switzerland - 17-May-22 -

I visited this little town in the summer of 2021 when I covered all the inscribed sites on Denmark proper and a few tentative sites. I decided to stay overnight here and rented a room in the Brødremenighedens Hotel, probably the only hotel in town. It is not cheap (as all hotels in Denmark) but it is in one of the largest historic buildings in town and features not only a restaurant (with a UNESCO-Menue!) and several historic halls. I figure you can see them also without being a guest. There were several reasons I decided to stay overnight: It fit decently with my travel route coming south from the eastern centre of Jutland (coming from Aarhus over Jelling) and, as strange as it sounds, because I knew that there was not very much to see. I hate it when I look back disappointedly at a visit to a WHS, knowing that I missed a kew element that might have improved the impression. So when I visit a while a large WHS like an inscribed city I know I needs several visits to cover all interesting parts so I have to come back anyway. On the other hand when I visit a small site I like to make sure I see all (possibly) important parts so I don't have to go home with the feeling that I should got there again to see a missed part. 

As has been mentioned by other reviewers you can mainly walk around the little town centre and the cemetery but there are few interiors and museum spaces you can visit: There is the church building and a few cafes you can enter and a museum Christiansfeld | Museum Kolding in the old brethren house, where the unmarried young men lived together, but all of them have different and limited opening hours. Since a short afternoon visit would not have allowed me to see the church and the museum because of the opening hours I decided to explore the town at slow space for an evening and a morning, hoping the town would reveal more of its hidden, "intangible" charms to the lingering visitor. 

When I arrived in the late afternoon I checked in and went straight to the main plaza with the church and the museum. The church was open: It is a huge but intentionally plain space so there is not much more to do then to get a feeling for the very protestant space of worship. After that I walked happily around the centre, exploring all the old wooden buildings, the accessible parks and gardens, the cemetery and had a simple dinner at one of the pubs. The next morning, after another walk I visited the museum. It gives you some good information about the Moravians, their history, their traditions and crafts and about some of the other Moravian settlements. There isn't that much new if you have done some preparation before coming but it is nice enough and the best thing is centainly that you can walk around the large building with different floors and halls. Really impressive is the choir hall with an incredible acoustic. 

While I enjoyed my laid-back half day in this little time capsule I still think this is a rather weak site. It is often mentioned that, since it is a rather weak site, a serial inscription would make more sense. I am not sure about that: Since there seems to be an agreement that this is clearly the best of the Moravian towns I do not see what would be gained by adding even smaller und weaker settlements. I think it makes more sense to inscribe the best example of a kind as has probably been done here instead of combining many weak elements to make up a site that is still weak though this seems more and more the tactic that countries use to gain an new inscription. Nonetheless I would like to visit a few more of the Moravian and Herrenhäuser settlements if I get the opportunity. When I checked them on the web it was quite clear that they were all even smaller then the small centre of Christiansfeld. 

One settlement I had visited the year before was Neuwied near Koblenz: There is still a Herrenhuter church and one street with a few buildings but it is within the town and there is no seperate settlement. What I found very interesting though was the Roentgen-Museum: This family of carpenters (with the father Abraham and the even more famous son David) had a workshop in Neuwied and made some of the most famous furniture of the 18th century being in high demand for kings and emperors, including Napoleon and Cathrine the Great. They were the continental Chippendales.  The fathers story I found remarkable: he was a Herrenhuter but got so successful that he had to leave the community since his wealth was not compatible with the doctrines of poverty of his church. But when he retired he returned to Herrenhut and his former community. BTW, another beautiful collections of Roentgen furniture can be seen in the stunning David Collection in Copenhagen that is mainly famous for its huge collection of Islamic art. 

Matejicek

Czechia - 01-Feb-22 -

I visited the German component of the transnational extension of Christiansfeld, Denmark, during a gloomy weekend in Fall 2004. We did a trip to Upper Lusatia (Lausitz in German), the region in Germany inhabited by Sorbian Slavic minority (Upper and Lower Lusatia were parts of the Bohemian Crown in Middle Ages). One of our first stops was Herrnhut (Ochranov in Czech, Ochranow in Sorbian language). The titles in all the languages are related to "protection". While the Slavonic ones are rather literal, the German one is more poetic and it recalls a hat of the Lord, for shielding of Brethern against their enemies, probably Catholics.

Frankly said, my impression from Herrnhut was quite lukewarm, and I have almost no memories on my visit of this place. We walked through the settlement and climb the nearby hill surrounded by the cemetery, which is also mentioned in the nomination text as the special part of the complex, and with the cute arbor on the top (PHOTO: view from the hill - sorry for a bad quality, I took only 3 photos in Herrnhut, and this is the best one I have). The place is not very spectacular. My THUMB-UP is only because of the historical importance of Moravian Brethren and their settlements, so I can see the OUV there. The transnational extension makes sense in my opinion and it should substantially strengthen the OUV of the original site in Denmark.

As regards the other components, I had "near miss" of Gracehill in Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK. I traveled from Belfast to Glens of Antrim via Ballymena in 2018, spent around 3 hours waiting for the bus connection in not very appealling town of Ballymena. The site is located some 3km from the railway station... but I had no idea about Gracehill and its historical importance.

What is also interesting is the origin of the Moravian Church. As evident from the title, the protestant Brethren fled from Moravia, part of the Bohemian Crown, after the defeat of Protestants by Catholics in 17th Century. The most famous person of Brethren is John Amos Comenius, the last bishop of the Unity of Brethren founded already in 15th Century in Czechia. One can visit his museum, located in the town of Fulnek, which has been declared as the Czech national monument. However, the church in Fulnek has no chance to be included to the nomination... but it represents the cradle of Moravians, who are still active and spread all over the world. Herrnhut is the oldest settlement they founded after their fled from Moravia.

Even though I am not very enthusiastic to sites like Herrnhut, I have to admit its potential and expect the smooths extension in frothcomming years.

Kyle Magnuson

3.00 California - United States of America - 07-Aug-21 -

Starting our tour at the "Moravian Museum of Bethlehem - 1741 Gemeinhaus" we learned about the industrious and comparatively forward-thinking Moravian Community at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Our tour guide was a practicing Moravian since moving to Bethlehem in the 1970's and was happy to answer all of our questions. At the Moravian Blacksmith Shop (which is a reconstruction) a blacksmith demonstrated for visitors the process and skills of the trade during the 18th century. As we visited on Saturday, July 3rd, 2021 the town was really bustling with activity, though not overly busy.

The early years of the Moravians in Bethlehem were defined by communal living. The primary purpose of the community was their missionary work. Their progressive educational system and medicinal practices became well-known and were even put to use to treat an injured Marquis de Lafayette in September 1777, who recuperated at the Sun Inn, located on Main Street just North of the Moravian Bethlehem Welcome Center. We enjoyed walking Church Street, the Moravian College grounds, God's Acre, Main Street, and the Colonial Industrial Quarter adjacent to the Monocacy Creek. We spent about 3 hours and then visited the nearby SteelStacks. 

As a transnational site, I feel the original WHS is greatly enhanced. The Historic Moravian Bethlehem District in Pennsylvania is the first historic district inscribed in the United States.

Read more from Kyle Magnuson here.

Jay T

2.00 USA - 05-May-21 -

Almost 300 years ago a group of German Protestant missionaries in North America were granted land in the wooded Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, west of New York City and north of Philadelphia; on Christmas Eve of 1741, these missionaries founded the Moravian community of Bethlehem. For approximately the next century, Bethlehem was a town run by the Moravian church, operating on principles espousing communal living, hard work, and missionary outreach to local Lenape native American groups (a relationship referenced in the novels of 19th century author James Fenimore Cooper).

There is currently an effort to create a transnational World Heritage Site highlighting Moravian church settlements, with Moravian Bethlehem being added as an extension to the already inscribed Moravian settlement of Christiansfeld, in Denmark. Since I didn't know much about the Moravian church in North America, I took a road trip to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania at the beginning of May this year in order to learn more about the Tentative World Heritage Site. There is a visitor center in downtown Bethlehem that regularly runs historical tours on weekends. Because the tour on the weekend I visited was only covering Moravian Bethlehem's colonial industrial quarter, the visitor center helped me arrange for a personal tour with a guide to learn more about the history of the Moravians in Bethlehem.

The tour started off in the Goundie House adjacent to the visitor center, which offered an eye- opening introduction to the role the Moravian church played in 18th and 19th century Bethlehem. John Goundie was a German brewer, businessman, and civic leader instrumental to changes both in Bethlehem and the Moravian church. Under Moravian church practice at the time, any young men who wanted to marry would see church leaders, who would then draw lots to determine whether a marriage would be permitted by God. Goundie was only allowed to marry after six attempts through the lot system, and, as a member of a delegation to the Moravian church synod, he helped campaign to make the lot system optional in the Americas. He also helped invest in private business outside the town boundaries of Bethlehem, and by the mid-19th century, Bethlehem was opened up to non-church members.

The tour continued past the colonial industrial quarter, built on the floodplain of the Monocacy Creek. The quarter includes a smithy, a mill, a tannery, a springhouse, and the ruins of a pottery and dye house, and is considered one of the earliest industrial parks in America. The quarter provided a source of income for the residents of Moravian Bethlehem, and was looked upon favorably by early American leaders such as future President John Adams, who found refuge in the town when the British advanced on Philadelphia in 1777. Of particular interest in the quarter is the waterworks, constructed in the mid 18th century, which was the first municipal pumped water system in North America, and brought spring water to the community living at the top of the hill where the Central Moravian Church now stands.

The heart of historic Moravian Bethlehem would have to be the church and surrounding residential buildings, highlighting the communal aspect of the town. The Gemeinhaus, or community house, is the oldest surviving structure in Bethlehem, and today serves as a museum. This building included a chapel and residential areas for the different "choirs" of community members, including single women and married couples. The Single Brethrens' House was later built across the street from the Gemeinhaus, while the Single Sisters' House was an addition to the community house. Of note, the choir of single women was viewed as equal to men, and worked in jobs that gave back to the community. The Moravian church was forward-leaning in the education of women, and the Moravian Seminary (now Academy) in Bethlehem, founded in 1742, was the first school for girls in the American colonies. Additional houses in this residential area were built for the choir of widows, and later for individual families. At the end of the tour, my guide brought me to the town cemetery, known as God's Acre, where Moravian church members were traditionally buried according to the choir system, separated by age, sex, and marital status.

Bethlehem has a unique heritage as a parochially-run town in early American history, and, as the early center of Moravian activity in North America, I can see where it would make a good addition to a transnational site recognizing how Moravian church settlements adapted to their regions. Beyond its Moravian heritage, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, also provides a fascinating overview of the industrialization of North America, from the early colonial industrial quarter of Moravian Bethlehem to the nearby, and now defunct, Bethlehem Steel mill, which was founded in the mid 19th century and at one time was the second largest steel producer in the United States, providing steel for shipbuilding and structures like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Logistics: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is about ninety minutes west of New York City and a little over an hour north of Philadelphia by car; there is also limited bus transit from the cities.

Thomas Harold Watson

1.00 United Kingdom - 01-May-20 -

I wasn’t meant to visit Christiansfeld on the day that I went as I only planned on seeing the Jelling Mounds, but as I had a lot of time to spare anyway I just jumped on a couple of busses and went.

There was nothing truly remarkable about the town, but it did feel like I had taken a little step back in history (maybe a couple of hundred years). But the lack of information boards, visitor centres or even a timetable at the church were definitely let downs. I was lucky enough to find a random guy in the street who strangely enough had the key for the building to let me in and around, but not everyone will be this lucky! 

The graveyard was probably the most fascinating thing to me, and as it seemed like they were doing it up when I went I’m sure it’ll be even better when/if you visit! I do think this site would have been better if shared with other similar places around the world, and am surprised that it got WHS status alone.

If you do decide to visit this part of Denmark you can easily do both this, and the Jelling Mound in the same day, but probably come here first to ensure you get let into the building. 

Read more from Thomas Harold Watson here.

Jakob Frenzel

2.50 Germany - 12-Nov-19 -

July 2019 - after visiting family in Hamburg, we decided to travel through Jütland to see the 2 mainland WHS in Denmark. We had visited Herrnhut, and we do have a Herrnhuter Star hanging in our flat around Christmas. But we did not know about the significance of the religious group. Arriving in Christiansfeld you see an old, cozy village with brickhouses and Malves blooming in front. Very nice, but we were here a bit too early so all we could do is get some Tyrstrup from the local bakery and wander around the few streets, visit the cemetary and enjoy the weather. Definitely worth a stop, however a joined  WHS with other Moravian settlements would make more sense.

Zoë Sheng

1.00 Chinese-Canadian - 28-Aug-19 -

When I went to Bethlehem, USA (Pennsylvania) this summer I wasn't sure what to expect. A colonial quarter from the 18th century. There is a parking lot right next to the "entrance" below the bridge. Everything is free. The houses are in decent condition but can only be seen from the outside as far as I know. Maybe there are special days to visit them. It is nice to see how the buildings form a village: a dye house, butchery and so on. Those, however, are very often found in Europe and in fact this site is aiming as a transnational extension to Christiansfeld in Denmark. Having the same over in the States is unfortunately nowhere near special in my opinion, and I don't find that unique enough. I wasn't a fan of the Danish town but it was at least a living town, not these abandoned buildings. A national treasure maybe but even then I'm not very sure. The place had zero visitors when I was there and doesn't seem very keen on attracting any. FYI this is 2h from NYC by car.

Ingemar Eriksson

3.00 Sweden - 15-Jul-18 -

An aspect of Christiansfeld is that it must be one of the most northern cities in Germany for about 55 years. After the war Germany-Denmark 1864, the border was placed some kilometers north of Christiansfeld. (The German land survey marker still stands in a dike along the old highway.) Then, after 1 world war, the referendum about new border Denmark-Germany took C. back to Denmark. This border from 1920 still is in place and we can study the further aspects in the new WHS Hedeby and Danevirke in Germany.

Alexander Barabanov

2.00 Russia - 20-Oct-17 -

Visited Christiansfeld during weekend tour from Copenhagen in September 2017. I liked this quit unusual city and the whole story behind Moravian church.

The most imppressive site for me was also cemetery with the funeral plates that haven't changed in the last 200 years.

Also central church with minimum decorations and white benches looks like discussion hall rather then ritual place.

It's not a stunning place, but I certainly felt something special about this community. The core is quite small and it would take an hour to explore everyting. I also visited Christinero, a small park within several kilometers from Christiansfeld. This is romantic getaway place for the wife of the chamberlain Christina Frederica von Holstein (1741-1812). Several original buildings, uncluding Chapel and Pavilion are preserved in the park.

Clyde

1.50 Malta - 08-Aug-16 -

I visited this WHS in July 2016. I drove to this small town from Stevns Klint and without noticing I had parked just in front of the main square and Moravian church. Visiting on a weekday meant that the town was less of a tourist museum when compared to the weekend. The town planning is intact and although there is a heritage trail marking around 27 sites to see, 25 of these sites are practically one next to the other on two parallel roads so it is very easy to visit. The main church facade is quite plain in line with the Moravian way of life. The rear of the church is covered in wood like other interesting dwellings nearby. I kept going round in circles trying to find this interesting feature (Els' photo) only to find out that on weekdays it is used as a kindergarten/school playground. There's even a metal goal post attached to it! The plain white interior is being refurbished at the moment and will not be accessible at least till the end of November this year. Perhaps this is why I preferred the quiet Tyrstrup Church. I wandered around the heritage trail and strangely enough the real highlight of my visit was the Moravian cemetery also known as God's Field. The cemetary is built in the shape of a cross and is lined with tall lime trees. What struck me most was that there were no family burial places. Women or community sisters are buried to the right and men or community brethren are buried to the left, exactly like the congregation is seated in the Moravian church. The majority of the graves are identical as a symbol that after death all are equal. The oldest graves are from the 18th century and are made of stone. Although some of the graves are damaged and the engravings are covered with moss or fading, a special effort is being done to restore them. The newer graves are made of marble which is a pity as I really like the symbol of equality. The majority of the sisters and the brethren had the name Christian in their first names, middle names or surnames, after the king Christian VII. After a short coffee break at the fabulous Xocolatl coffee shop for some gingerbread and honey cakes, I drove for a few kilometres to visit the last 2 sites near Tyrstrup: Christinero and the inscribed bole house. A bole house or bulladen is a typical Jutland timber building built with horizontal oak planks between vertical upright planks. the one in Tyrstrup was built in 1668 and it is the largest bullade in Denmark. Christinero is an enjoyable late 1700s park. It is named after Christina Friederica von Holstein, who called it "My thoughts". Her white wooden farm, Favrågård, lies at the heart of this park (around 2km from Christiansfeld). All in all I enjoyed my visit and although this site might fill in some gaps in the WH list, I don't think the site alone has OUV. Perhaps this WHS will be used in the future to extend the inscription to other Moravian settlements worldwide and become a transnational WHS which I think would be worth a try.

Ian Cade

1.00 UK - 03-May-16 -

Whilst pleasant there isn't a huge amount to see in Christiansfeld. I actually drove through the main sights without noticing, eventually parking on what I thought to be a well maintained back street garden only to find that it was actually the central square.

Some surprisingly sleety drizzle pushed me in the direction of the recently refurbished museum. It seemed some sort of local meeting had just finished, and the well-dressed inhabitants were discussing the events whilst I perused the exhibits, which gave me as thorough a rundown of the town’s importance as I needed. I also discovered that the main church was closed for a long term renovation.

Then I headed out to tour the town, about 10 minutes later I was back on the same square having seen pretty much everything in the inscribed area. There was a pleasant tree lined path leading to the well planned cemetery, and some well-maintained houses and that was about it, well for this non-specialist anyway. Perhaps a guided tour could explain some of the details of the town plan that reflect the Moravian Brethren a little more.

I had however saved the best for last. Apparently the town has a famous contribution to Danish cuisine, Honnigkage (honey cake), it was news to me but it was a very welcome addition to my travel diet. There were two shops opposite each other selling it. I plumped for the one that also sold expensive chocolates, it was utterly delicious. Much to my surprise they also sold a very good quality latte. Two students that interviewed me for their research said the cake in the shop opposite was even better.

All in all it is was a pretty unremarkable place to visit. If you're in the area and have 15 minutes to kill it is worth calling in to get some honey cake, beyond that it is hard to find much else to warrant a stop beyond a tick off the list.

Site 2: Experience 4

Els Slots

2.50 The Netherlands - 28-Apr-13 -

In southern Denmark lies a small town where in 1773 the Protestant Herrnhutter started a new church community. Their town plan and characteristic light brick houses have been preserved until today. It is a quiet place where linden trees line the streets on both sides, and where the huge wooden Moravian Church is still the focal point. Christiansfeld a Moravian Settlement is one of no less than three Danish nominations for 2015

The Herrnhutter or Moravian Brethren are a Protestant denomination originating from Bohemia, whose members settled in Saxony (now Germany) after being persecuted in the Catholic Habsburg lands. There they established a new village called Herrnhut, and from that place, they started the first large-scale Protestant missionary movement. They sent their missionaries to all parts of the world. Denmark (or more accurately: the Dano-Norwegian Empire of that period) was one of the first places they went to.

Christiansfeld is an easy site to visit on the way between the Jelling WHS and the Hamburg Speicherstadt TWHS, and well worth a short stop. I was there in April 2013 and I walked Christianfeld’s picturesque main streets for about half an hour. It’s a small town that has preserved its planned layout and original architecture well. The straight roads still are lined with rows of linden. The sturdy houses are made of light-coloured bricks. The building style is very sober, in accordance with Moravian principles. The undoubted highlight of the town is the huge wooden Moravian Church, located at a fine small square that would not be out of place in Holland. No wonder, the Dutch town of Zeist is said to have been used as an example to Christiansfeld’s construction.

After my visit in 2013, I believed that this nomination would need a brilliantly written nomination file to convince ICOMOS and the WHC. Two years later we know that it has received a positive recommendation for inclusion by ICOMOS, so you may guess that the Danes have succeeded in doing so. The dossier however is not without its flaws, and we might see a transformation of this single ‘group of buildings’ into a transnational serial site over the coming years.

We have discussed the Moravian Heritage Network on our Forum before: it is (or was?) a network of Moravian settlements in Northern Ireland, the USA, South Africa, Germany and The Netherlands. They have worked together for some years on a joint nomination, but Christiansfeld has chosen to go ahead on its own as the others are not ready yet and “because Christiansfeld is the best remaining example anyway”.

In its evaluation, ICOMOS does not fully agree with this conclusion: it may be the best preserved in Europe, but the serial nature of these church colonies around the world must be stressed. While the OUV of Christiansfeld is enough to earn a place on the WH List, the AB urges other countries (outside of Europe) to add serial sites in the coming years. Towns in the US may qualify (such as Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), but maybe also places in South Africa, Tanzania, Nicaragua, or the Danish West Indies. So it will be interesting whether we will see any 'Moravian heritage' activity on future Tentative Lists.

Read more from Els Slots here.