World Heritage Site Progress
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites is part of an effort to bring World Heritage Site status to Historic Moravian Bethlehem. As a World Heritage List candidate, Historic Moravian Bethlehem preserves and advances the ageless values of education, equality, industry, integrity and spirituality that have been part of the community since 1741.
The site’s original architecture along with its town planning across 14.7 acres, 10 structures, several ruins and a cemetery, stands today as a reflection of and tribute to the resilience of a community built on universal human ideals that are essential and relevant to this day.
Historic Moravian Bethlehem is on a prestigious list of U.S. sites poised to be nominated to the World Heritage List in the coming years, which would place it alongside national treasures including Independence Hall, the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon and globally iconic sites such as the Great Wall of China, Pyramids at Giza, Acropolis in Athens and Sydney Opera House.
What do Ellis Island, Early Chicago Skyscrapers, the Brooklyn Bridge and Historic Moravian Bethlehem have in common?
They have all been nominated to the US Tentative List!
On Friday, December 9, 2016, Historic Moravian Bethlehem was honored with placement on the US Tentative List for eventual nomination to the World Heritage List.
This happened just two weeks before the 275th anniversary of the naming of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve 1741. Official documentation of the nomination was made through the Federal Register through the Department of the Interior.
We're on the cusp of World Heritage Site status
Historic Moravian Bethlehem is one only 19 sites on the US Tentative List, working toward nomination to the World Heritage List.
There are only 24 World Heritage Sites in the entire U.S. Independence Hall in Philadelphia and Fallingwater outside of Pittsburgh are the only two sites in Pennsylvania. There are just over 1,100 World Heritage sites in the entire world, two examples of which are the Great Wall of China and the pyramids in Egypt.
This endeavor has been underway since 2002 and has taken much effort led by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites. In 2012, Historic Moravian Bethlehem was designated a National Historic Landmark District, one of 8 in Pennsylvania and about 200 in the United States.
We are moving forward with the next steps
- Preparation of a detailed dossier to prove Outstanding Universal Value of our National Historic Landmark District
- Establishment of the Bethlehem World Heritage Commission by the Mayor of Bethlehem to raise funds for the preparation of the dossier and fulfill process requirements.
World Heritage Commission Officers
Mayor Robert Donchez, Chair
Curtis H. Barnette, Vice-Chair
Charlene Donchez Mowers, President
Don Cunningham, Treasurer
Daniel McCarthy, Secretary
World Heritage Commission Members
Phillips Armstrong, Curtis Barnette, Pastor Hopeton Clennon, Former Congressman Charles Dent, Tim Fallon, Dr. Bryon Grigsby, Bruce Haines, Cynthia Kosso, Tony Iannelli, Alex Michaels, Lamont McClure, Caroll Neubauer, Michael Perrucci, Dr. Joseph Roy, David Shaffer, Dr. John Simon, Dan Soos, and Congresswoman Susan Wild.
Global Recognition for Moravian Heritage and Ideals
With its intact core of original buildings, this National Historic Landmark District preserves some of the most important structures and sites relating to the Moravians in the New World and is significant as an outstanding example of Moravian architecture and town planning.
The Moravian settlement of Christiansfeld, Denmark—founded 30 years after Bethlehem—was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015.
Historic Moravian Bethlehem’s footprint is 14.7 acres of the original 18th-century Moravian settlement which served as the center of Moravian Church activities in America. The settlement played a key role in both the international and American Moravian communities.
Today, visitors can experience some of the finest 18th century colonial Germanic architecture in the nation and explore some of the artifacts that speak to the Moravian community.
In the News
Learn more about Historic Moravian Bethlehem's nomination to the US Tentative List.
“The Moravian District is a source of pride for the city of Bethlehem and the surrounding Lehigh Valley, as it has provided a unique, historically rich, and culturally significant way of life for over 300 years. The United States is filled with a number of important historical sites, so to even be considered is an honor.” - Former US Congressman Charlie Dent
Historic Moravian Bethlehem’s Bid for World Heritage Status
The world is watching us.
That’s because Historic Moravian Bethlehem is poised to become a World Heritage Site. That’s big. Very audacious. Being named a World Heritage Site puts us in the same league as national treasures like Independence Hall, the Statue of Liberty, and the Grand Canyon, and globally iconic sites such as the Great Wall of China, Acropolis, and Pyramids of Egypt.
Historic Moravian Bethlehem is a masterpiece of human creative genius with culture, architecture, and design that are exceptional and have universal value to humankind. That is what the team that evaluates potential World Heritage Sites looks for, and we’ve had it for centuries here in Bethlehem.
