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Pennsylvania city celebrates UNESCO World Heritage designation
August 7th, 2024 | World Heritage
Written by Kaylee Lindenmuth for abc 27 News
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (WHTM) — A Pennsylvania city celebrated Wednesday its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The City of Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley was one of four locations designated to the list last month as part of the Moravian Church Settlements.
Ten acres in downtown Bethlehem — nine structures, four ruins, and a cemetery — are included in the site. The preserved structures are “significant as an outstanding example of Moravian architecture and town planning.”
It is Pennsylvania’s third site on the list and city officials said it puts the city alongside global landmarks such as Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza and the Statue of Liberty.
The effort to have the site recognized dates back 20 years, Hank Barnette, vice chair of the Bethlehem World Heritage Commission and Council, said Wednesday.
“It is about the buildings, and it is about what our ancestors built 280-some years ago, but it’s also about the idea that this is about the future,” Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds said. “It’s about honoring those ideals of humanity, the ones that we honored when we were in India, that the world has looked upon us for.”
The Moravian Church is considered one of the oldest protestant Christian denominations, with roots in the 15th century.
In addition to Bethlehem, three other Moravian settlements are included: Herrnhut, Germany; Gracehill, Northern Ireland; and Christiansfeld, Denmark. The latter had already been added to the World Heritage List in 2015.
Bethlehem’s addition was the result of a decades-long effort by Bethlehem Area Moravians, the Central Moravian Church, the City of Bethlehem, Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites, Moravian University, and more.
City officials hope the addition boosts cultural tourism to the Lehigh Valley.
It is the 26th World Heritage site in the United States and the third in Pennsylvania, joining Independence Hall in Philadelphia County and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house in Fayette County.
