U.S. World Heritage Site Nominee
World Heritage sites recognized by UNESCO represent cultural or natural locations of “Outstanding Universal Value.” While there are over 1121 sites in 167 countries, the U.S. only has 25 such sites to date to such noted designation. Each year, the U.S. Department of Interior can nominate one site for consideration by the World Heritage Commission.
In 2023, The U.S. Department of Interior named Historic Moravian Bethlehem Landmark District to participate in a multi-country nomination of historic “Moravian Church Settlements” in Europe and North America. With its core of original buildings, Bethlehem preserves some of the most important structures and sites relating to the Moravians in the U.S. and is an outstanding example of Moravian Architecture and Town Planning.
The Nomination proposes that Historic Moravian Church Settlements in Bethlehem; Herrnhut, Germany; and Gracehill, Northern Ireland/United Kingdom join the Moravian World Heritage Site in Christiansfeld, Denmark (designated in 2015) as a single Moravian Church Settlement Site that represents world-wide Moravian Church settlements.
The nomination will be considered by the World Heritage Committee in 2024.
The U.S. nomination authenticates Moravian Bethlehem as Pennsylvania’s 1st named national historic district as a truly unique colonial destination.
