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Historic Bethlehem offering new tour of Moravian UNESCO World Heritage site
February 24th, 2025 | In The News
Written by Lindsay Weber
In an effort to boost interest in its newly minted World Heritage status, Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites is launching a new guided tour which covers all the structures and ruins that make up the UNESCO-recognized Moravian settlements.
The 90-minute walking tour spanning the approximately two blocks that make up the Moravian sites near downtown North Bethlehem, takes place at 2 p.m. Saturdays. Visitors will tour buildings including the 1741 Gemeinhaus, the oldest building in Bethlehem; the 1751 chapel; Central Moravian Church Sanctuary; and the God’s Acre Cemetery.
It is the only guided tour that covers all of the properties included in the Moravian Church settlements.
The Bethlehem World Heritage site spans 10 acres near downtown north Bethlehem and includes nine structures, four ruins and God’s Acre cemetery. Last July, after nearly two decades of effort from Moravian history advocates, the Bethlehem Moravian settlements became a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, a status which reflects the sites’ “outstanding” and “universal” historic value.
Bethlehem’s site joins similar Moravian sites in Christiansfeld in Denmark; Gracehill, Northern Ireland; and Herrnut, Germany, as one transnational UNESCO Moravian World Heritage Site. It is the 26th U.S. World Heritage Site and the 13th cultural U.S. site.
The World Heritage tour is led by a guide in traditional period clothing and is “designed to give attendees an inside look at life in Bethlehem during the mid-18th century” according to Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites Managing Director Lindsey Jancay.
“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,” Jancay said in a statement. “Their story is one that will fascinate anyone who is interested in history, architecture, regional culture or heritage tourism.”
Tickets are $25, and Lehigh Valley residents can receive a discount of $5 using the code LVWH2025 when buying tickets online.
Read the article on The Morning Call website.
