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Discover why Bethlehem’s Moravian settlement earned UNESCO status in new tour
February 24th, 2025 | In The News
It was last July when UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted to include Bethlehem’s historic Moravian settlement as part of a World Heritage Site.
Now, visitors will have a chance to learn first hand why the settlement was deemed worthy of a status that’s been reserved for far more prominent sites such as Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, the pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China.
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, in collaboration with Central Moravian Church, has started offering 90-minute walking tours of the settlement led by costumed guides, the organization announced in a news release.
They will take place at 2 p.m. every Saturday, beginning at the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, 66 W. Church St.
Tickets for the tour are $25 and available now at historicbethlehem.org or 1-800-360-TOUR. The website also has information on how Lehigh Valley residents can get a discount.
The tour focuses on an approximately two-square-block area in Bethlehem where the Moravians established their settlement in the 1740s. It gives attendees the opportunity to go inside the 1741 Gemeinhaus, 1751 Old Chapel, 1803-1806 Central Moravian Church Sanctuary (based on availability) and other buildings, the release said.
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, according to the release.
World Heritage sites do not receive funding, but the designation signals to travelers that these are must-see tourist destinations. Officials hope inclusion will elevate Bethlehem’s reputation as a Colonial-era historic site.
Read the article on lehighvalleylive.com.
