Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem Offering New World Heritage Tours

February 14th, 2025

Lehigh Valley Residents Can Save 20 Percent Off Tickets Purchased Through March

BETHLEHEM, PA—Visitors to Historic Bethlehem will have the opportunity to discover the enduring impact of the Moravians on the United States and around the globe as they embark on the new World Heritage Tour led by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) costumed guides. The 90-minute guided walking tour, a collaboration between Central Moravian Church and HBMS, takes place every Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets for the tour are $25 and available now at historicbethlehem.org or 1-800-360-TOUR.

As a thank you to the Lehigh Valley’s residents for supporting the efforts to have Bethlehem’s early Moravian settlement enshrined as a World Heritage site, residents of Lehigh and Northampton counties will receive 20 percent off ($5 off) the cost of any tour tickets purchased between now and March 31. Lehigh Valley residents should use Promo Code LVWH2025 to take advantage of the special offer. 

“The City of Bethlehem and our World Heritage partners at Moravian University, Bethlehem Area Moravians, Central Moravian Church and Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites are thrilled to invite the residents of the Lehigh Valley to explore our World Heritage site,” said City of Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds. “The World Heritage Tour celebrates our rich history, culture and shared human heritage.”

The World Heritage Tour, which focuses on an approximately two-square-block area in Bethlehem where the Moravians established their settlement in the 1740s, gives attendees the opportunity to go inside the 1741 Gemeinhaus, 1751 Old Chapel and 1803-1806 Central Moravian Church Sanctuary (based on availability), three of the buildings that are included in Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem, the newest World Heritage site in the United States. In addition, they will see all of the other buildings and sites included in the approximately 10-acre World Heritage site, the 26^th in the nation.

World Heritage Tours, which begin at the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, 66 W. Church St., Bethlehem, are led by a HBMS docent dressed in period attire and specifically trained to share the unique characteristics and innovativeness that led the Moravians to become a community of “firsts” in our fledgling nation. During the tour, attendees will visit the 1741 Gemeinhaus, the Moravians’ community house and first place of worship in Bethlehem. The 1741 Gemeinhaus has the distinction of being the oldest building in Bethlehem and the only 18^th-century Moravian Gemeinhaus still in existence in the world.

Tour attendees will also visit the 1751 Old Chapel, Bethlehem’s second place of worship; and Central Moravian Church, whose sanctuary was completed in 1806. Plus, they will stop in the Bell House Courtyard to see the 1746 Bell House, 1744 Single Sisters’ House and 1768 Widows’ House, as well as visit God’s Acre, the cemetery that was the final resting place for Bethlehem-area Moravians from 1742-1911.

“Central Moravian Church is thrilled to be a part of the living heritage of the Moravian Church Settlements-Bethlehem World Heritage designation as we actively worship and practice our Moravian faith in the 21st century,” said Rev. Janel Rice, Senior Pastor at Central Moravian Church. “These buildings represent a historic and living church that recognizes the 18^th-century call to build community and treat each other with love and respect is as necessary today as it was for our Moravian ancestors.”

The World Heritage Tour concludes on Bethlehem’s Main Street with a look at the 1748 Second Single Brethren’s House, as well as the Colonial Industrial Quarter’s 1761 Tannery and 1762 Waterworks, the first pumped municipal water system in the country. Considered to be the U.S.’ first industrial park, the Colonial Industrial Quarter was a thriving community of approximately 35 crafts, trades and industries during its height in the mid-1700s.

“The Moravians’ approach to city planning, education and industry were truly impressive for their time,” said Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Vice President and Managing Director Lindsey Jancay. “This tour is designed to give attendees an inside look at life in Bethlehem during the mid-18^th century, while also shining the spotlight on all of the sites included in the Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem World Heritage site.

“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. Their story is one that will fascinate anyone who is interested in history, architecture, regional culture or heritage tourism.”

The World Heritage Tour offered by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites and Central Moravian Church is the only guided tour that covers all the properties and sites included in the Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem World Heritage site. In addition to the World Heritage Tour, all tour attendees receive free admission and a guided tour of the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem.

Inscribed on the World Heritage list in July 2024, 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. The uniting of these four locations into a single World Heritage site is designed to highlight both the outstanding universal value of these well-preserved Moravian communities, as well as the Moravian Church’s influence around the globe. The living cultural traditions of the Moravians, including their timeless values of education, equality, innovation and spirituality, have helped shape their communities for centuries.

WORLD HERITAGE TOUR AT A GLANCE
90-Minute Guided Walking Tour

Go Inside/Tour:

• 1741 Gemeinhaus
• 1751 Old Chapel
• 1803-1806 Central Moravian Church Sanctuary (subject to availability)
• God’s Acre Cemetery

See/Visit:

• 1744 Single Sisters’ House
• 1746 Bell House
• 1748 Second Single Brethren’s House
• 1761 Tannery
• 1762 Waterworks
• 1768 Widows’ House

Tickets: $25
HistoricBethlehem.org
1-800-360-TOUR

Media Contacts:
Stephanie Augello, City of Bethlehem, SAugello@bethlehem-pa.gov
Mark Demko, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, mdemko@historicbethlehem.org

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ABOUT HISTORIC BETHLEHEM MUSEUMS & SITES

Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) is a nonprofit institution that brings to life three centuries of American history. HBMS tells the story of a small town of great influence, home to some of our nation’s earliest settlers, America’s first municipal water pumping system and one of the world’s greatest industrial companies. HBMS is located in eastern Pennsylvania, only a one-hour drive north of Philadelphia and two hours west of New York City. The nonprofit is a partner in Moravian Church Settlements-Bethlehem, the United States’ 26^th World Heritage site; an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution; and part of Historic Moravian Bethlehem, which is a National Historic Landmark District. For more information, visit historicbethlehem.org.

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