Berthelsdorf () is a former municipality in the district of

Görlitz Görlitz (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, East Lusatian: , , ) is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is on the river Lusatian Neisse and is the largest town in Upper Lusatia, the second-largest town in the region of Lusatia after ...

, in the southeastern part of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. On 1 January 2013, it was incorporated into the town of

Herrnhut Herrnhut (; ; ; Upper Lusatian: ''Harrnhutt'', ''Harrnutt'') is a town of around 6,000 inhabitants in Upper Lusatia, in the district of Görlitz, in eastern Saxony, Germany. The town is mainly known as the place of origin of the community of t ...

.Media service of the State of Saxony
retrieved 2013-02-26

History

Berthelsdorf lies close to the borders of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Nicolaus Ludwig Count von Zinzendorf, bought the Berthelsdorf estates (Middle and Lower Berthelsdorf) from his grandmother, Henriette Catharina von Gersdorff, in 1722, and Upper Berthelsdorf from his Uncle in 1724. He built his manor house ''"

Bethel Bethel (, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; ; ) was an ancient Israelite city and sacred space that is frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Bet ...

"'' - ''" House of God"'' in Middle Berthelsdorf. Soon after buying the estates and calling Johann Andreas Rothe as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

in Berthelsdorf, he agreed to receive

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

exiles from the ''Kuhländchen'' (de, cs) in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

upon his new estate. The first group arrived in June, 1722, under the leadership of carpenter Christian David. They founded the nearby settlement of

on the estate. They were later joined by several hundred other refugees from

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

oppression in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, now the

. Under the guidance of Zinzendorf they united to renew the ancient Unitas Fratrum. 13 August 1727, is the date usually considered as the renewal date, which took place in the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in Berthelsdorf. From Berthelsdorf and Herrnhut then the ''"Brüdergemeine"'', in English, the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...

, spread out across the world, beginning in 1732 with the sending of the first Moravian

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

. Zinzendorf also provided sanctuary in Berthelsdorf to persecuted followers of mystic

Caspar Schwenckfeld Caspar (or Kaspar) Schwen(c)kfeld von Ossig () (1489 or 1490 – 10 December 1561) was a German theologian, writer, physician, naturalist, and preacher who became a Protestant Reformer and spiritualist. He was one of the earliest promoters ...

from nearby

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. They were forced by the Electoral Saxon government to emigrate to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and Zinzendorf sent two Moravians to accompany them in 1734–35, in order to scout out the mission possibilities in America. The former municipality had two subdivisions: Rennersdorf and Berthelsdorf.

People

* Nikolaus Ludwig, ''Imperial Count von Zinzendorf-Pottendorf'' (1700, Dresden - 1760) ** Christian Renatus von Zinzendorf (1727 - 1752), son of Nikolaus Ludwig, born here *

August Gottlieb Spangenberg August Gottlieb Spangenberg (15 July 170418 September 1792) was a German theologian, minister, and bishop of the Moravian Church. As successor to Nicolaus Zinzendorf as bishop of the Moravian Church, he helped develop and lead international Mora ...

(1704 - 1792), lived and died here * Johannes Baptista von Albertini (1769, Neuwied - 1831), lived and died here * Adolf Gottlieb Fiedler (1771 - 1850), an entrepreneur, made a factory in here * Peter Latrobe (1795, London - 1863), son of the English Moravian clergyman Christian Ignatius Latrobe, lived and died here * Heinrich Wullschlägel (1805 - 1864), Russia-born clergy, lived and died here * Karl Gustav Kreischer (1834 - 1891) (de) *

Oskar Korschelt Oskar Korschelt (September 18, 1853 in Berthelsdorf – July 4, 1940 in Leipzig; some sources erroneously give him the name Oscar or Otto) was a German chemist and engineer who introduced the Asian strategy board game of Go (board game), Go to Eu ...

(1853 - 1940) * Martin Rade (1857 - 1940) (de) *

(1489-1561), Silesian Reformer, spiritual father of the Schwenkfelders who lived briefly in Berthelsdorf

References

Former municipalities in Saxony Populated places in Görlitz (district) History of the Moravian Church Settlements of the Moravian Church 1310s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1317 establishments in Europe 1722 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Herrnhut {{Görlitz-geo-stub

History

People

See also

References