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Herrnhut | |
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 Herrnhut seen against theZittau Mountains  Vogtshof, seat of theMoravian Church _-_Vom_Hutberg_aus_gesehen.jpg) Kirchensaal of theMoravian Church  Moravian Star lettering | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Herrnhut within Görlitz district  | |
 Location of Herrnhut | |
  Herrnhut  Herrnhut | |
| Coordinates:51°01′00″N14°44′30″E / 51.01667°N 14.74167°E /51.01667; 14.74167 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony |
| District | Görlitz |
| Subdivisions | 11 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2022–29) | Willem Riecke[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 74.13 km2 (28.62 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 344 m (1,129 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 5,814 |
| • Density | 78.43/km2 (203.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 02747 |
| Dialling codes | 035873 |
| Vehicle registration | GR, LÖB, NOL, NY, WSW, ZI |
| Website | www.herrnhut.de |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Herrnhut | |
| Part of | Moravian Church Settlements |
| Criteria | iii, iv |
| Reference | 1468 |
| Inscription | 2015 (39thSession) |
| Extensions | 2024 |
Herrnhut (German:[ˈhɛʁnhuːt]ⓘ;Upper Sorbian:Ochranow;Czech:Ochranov;Upper Lusatian:Harrnhutt,Harrnutt) is a town of around 6,000 inhabitants inUpper Lusatia, in thedistrict of Görlitz, in easternSaxony,Germany. The town is mainly known as the place of origin of the community of theMoravian Church (established byNicolas Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf in 1722), and of theMoravian Stars (Herrnhuter Sterne).
In 2016, the town was awarded the honorary titleEuropean City of the Reformation by theCommunion of Protestant Churches in Europe, and in 2024, Herrnhut was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the serial site "Moravian Church Settlements" (Siedungen der Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine) alongsideChristiansfeld (Denmark),Bethlehem (USA) andGracehill (Northern Ireland).[3] Herrnhut lies between the larger towns ofLöbau andZittau in the hilly foreland of theZittau Mountains on the Petersbach, the longest headstream of thePließnitz, a tributary of theLusatian Neisse.
It is located in the historicUpper Lusatia region, on the roadBundesstraße 178, and on theZittau–Löbau railway line. Herrnhut is about 10 km (6.2 mi) south-east ofLöbau, 15 km (9.3 mi) north-west ofZittau, and 25 km (16 mi) south-west of the district capitalGörlitz.
The municipality borders on, among other municipalities,Oderwitz.
Herrnhut is also the name of the largest town in the municipality. Since 1 January 2013, whenBerthelsdorf was incorporated, the municipal area contains 11 subdivisions:
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Herrnhut proper was founded in the early 18th century by German-speaking members of theUnity of the Brethren, religious refugees fromMargraviate of Moravia. TheUnity of the Brethren arose after the reformerJan Hus had beenburnt at the stake during theCouncil of Constance in 1415. In the 18th century, they had to face the sternCounter-Reformation measures enacted in theLands of the Bohemian Crown by theHabsburg rulers. From 1722 refugees came to Upper Lusatia, held by theElectors of Saxony since thePeace of Prague (1635). After meeting with their leaderChristian David, a Moravian missionary, the German noblemanCount Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700–1760) invited them to settle on his extended Berthelsdorf estates.
Shortly afterward, David built the first home in what was to become Herrnhut.Herrn Hut means the Lord's watchful care or the Lord's protection. Zinzendorf himself had a new residence erected here in 1725–1727). From Herrnhut the community spread toRixdorf nearBerlin, the formerMarienborn monastery nearBüdingen, toHerrnhaag, toNorden, toPawlowitzke (1771–1772). Numerous daughter churches arose all over the world. The first organized Protestant missionary movement began from Herrnhut in 1732, when 2 Bohemian Brethren went to the Danish West Indies, and then others went also to Greenland. The first North American mission work began in Savannah, Georgia in 1735. In 1738, the missionary station ofGenadendal was founded in South Africa.Christiansfeld in Denmark followed in 1771.
Herrnhut holds a prominent place in thehistory of Protestantism, as well as the broaderhistory of Christianity. Zinzendorf's community influencedJohn Wesley in creatingMethodism and it contributed to the rise ofEvangelicalism, a broad interdenominational movement of more than 300 million people all over the globe.
| Year | 1834 | 1871 | 1890 | 1910 | 1925 | 1939 | 1946 | 1950 | 1964 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 |
| Population | 899 | 1092 | 1139 | 1364 | 1664 | 1627 | 2024 | 2025 | 1808 | 1754 | 2842 | 4963 |
According to the Saxon state congress in 1777, Herrnhut contained 76 homes.
In the mid-19th century the population rose above 1,000, and afterWorld War II it reached more than 2,000. Since the 1950s there has been a decline in population, which was compensated for by the incorporation of neighboring municipalities.[4]
The Herrnhut coat of arms is blue and white, showing the tower of theAltan (the lookout tower) atop the Hutberg hill above the city. The name of Hutberg hill ("Hill of Watching") suggested the name of theMoravian settlement founded by these exiles on theZinzendorf estate in 1722.Herrn Hut means "the Lord's Watchful care".
Herrnhut has a church and two museums, including a museum of local history. It is the center of the worldwideMoravian Church, theUnitas Fratrum, in GermanBrüder-Unität orBrüdergemeine. Many European languages have named the Moravian Church movement directly after Herrnhut, for examplehernhuutlus inEstonian,herrnhutilaisuus inFinnish,hernhūtieši inLatvian andherrnhutismen in bothNorwegian andSwedish.
The former Herrnhut train station on thedecommissioned railway line Zittau–Löbau has been turned into an art gallery.
Its economy is based on church administration, education, tourism and manufacturing, including a 25-pointed star that is often hung in windows and on porches during the Christmas season, which has been produced for over 150 years. It is called theMoravian star or Moravian Advent star (Herrnhuter Adventsstern or simplyHerrnhuter Stern). From Herrnhut, the Moravian star decoration has spread across Europe and America.
![Herrnhut railway station [de] also functions as an art gallery](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHerrnhut_Sachsen_-_altes_Bahnhofsgeb%25C3%25A4ude_als_Kunstbahnhof_Foto_2007_Wolfgang_Pehlemann_Wiesbaden_DSCN4658.jpg)
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