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Bethlehem named World Heritage site, should boost tourism
July 30th, 2024 | In The News
Written by Stacy Wescoe for Lehigh Valley Business
In what’s expected to be a great boon to tourism and the economy in the region, Bethlehem’s Moravian Church Settlements has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site List.
The historic Moravian Church Settlements of Bethlehem, USA; Gracehill, Northern Ireland; and Herrnhut, Germany, were inscribed on the prestigious list at the World Heritage Committee meeting in New Delhi, India, late last week and now join Christiansfeld, Denmark, (inscribed in 2015) as a single World Heritage Site.
“Today’s historic designation is a testament to everyone who has walked the grounds and made the Moravian settlement a part of Bethlehem’s foundation,” said LoriAnn Wukitsch, Historic Bethlehem Museum and Sites’ president and CEO. “Our heartfelt gratitude extends to the supporters and volunteers dedicated to this decades-long process. The recognition underscores the importance of preserving these historic sites for future generations, and we are honored to join our international partners in showcasing the impact of the Moravian settlements on our world’s cultural and historical landscape.”
She noted that HBMS spent over two decades working to add Historic Moravian Bethlehem to the World Heritage List, joined by the City of Bethlehem, Bethlehem Area Moravians, Central Moravian Church, and Moravian University.
The inscription site spans 10 acres and includes nine structures, four ruins and God’s Acre cemetery, all within the already designated Historic Moravian Bethlehem National Historic Landmark District. Among these sites are: ‒ The 1741 Gemeinhaus, the oldest building in Bethlehem, which houses the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem. ‒ The 1762 Waterworks, an ASCE Historic Civil Engineering and American Water landmark, was America’s first pumped municipal water system in the Colonial Industrial Quarter.
Bethlehem will be recognizing the designation with a ceremony Aug. 7 at City Hall.
