The Site
Herrnhut, located in Saxony, Germany, near the border to Czechia and Poland, is the founding settlement of the Moravian Church, established in 1722 by a group of religious refugees from Moravia under the protection of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. The settlement became the spiritual and administrative centre of the Moravian Church, which later expanded across Europe, North America, Africa, and the Caribbean, forming a global network of Moravian communities. The town’s urban layout, with its central congregation building, communal housing, and green spaces, reflects the Moravian ideal of collective living, where architecture and town planning were used to reinforce the community’s spiritual and social values. This distinctive design influenced the establishment of other Moravian settlements worldwide, making Herrnhut a key reference for the church’s broader cultural and architectural heritage.
An important feature of Herrnhut is the God’s Acre, the Moravian cemetery established in 1731, which became the prototype for Moravian burial grounds across the world. The cemetery embodies the Moravian principle of egalitarianism, where all individuals, regardless of social status, are laid to rest with the same type of gravestone. The graves are arranged in a grid-like pattern, reflecting the order and simplicity central to Moravian beliefs. Unlike many historic cemeteries, which feature elaborate monuments and hierarchical burial arrangements, God’s Acre maintains a strict uniformity, with each grave marked by a simple, flat stone. The cemetery is divided into sections by tree-lined avenues, traditionally separating burial areas by gender, marital status, and age, a practice that further illustrates communal structure of Moravian society. Today, the cemetery holds over 6,300 graves, spanning three centuries of continuous use, preserving the memory of generations of Moravian community members who shaped Herrnhut’s religious and cultural history.
In 2024, Herrnhut, along with other historic Moravian Church settlements, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the title "Moravian Church Settlements" as transnational extension to the already inscribed UNESCO World Heritage site Christiansfeld in Denmark. This recognition stands as proof to the Outstanding Universal Value of Herrnhut’s town planning, religious heritage, and communal traditions, as well as its influence on global Moravian settlement patterns. The inscription emphasises the importance of preserving the Moravian architectural, social, and spiritual legacy, ensuring that Herrnhut’s unique urban and cultural landscape continues to be studied and protected as part of the world’s shared heritage.
The Project
The European Heritage Volunteers Project in Herrnhut continues a multi-year engagement at the historic God’s Acre, the cemetery of the Moravian Church Settlement of Herrnhut, part of the recently inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site "Moravian Church Settlements". Since 2023, the participants of the European Heritage Volunteers Programme have contributed to the documentation and maintenance of this unique burial ground, characterised by its distinctive layout, uniform gravestones, and the Moravian tradition of egalitarian commemoration.
The documentation work will involve detailed recording of grave plates, their conditions and inscriptions, improving existing archival records and supporting future conservation concepts. Participants will photograph, transcribe, and assess the state of historic grave plates. Maintenance tasks will continue to play a central role, including the cleaning of grave plates, careful removal of invasive vegetation, and minor conservation measures to prevent deterioration. These activities ensure the preservation of the cemetery’s integrity, respecting its function as an active burial ground while safeguarding its historic and cultural significance.
Community engagement remains an integral element of the project, fostering a collaborative approach to heritage conservation. The Moravian Church community in Herrnhut has played an important role in welcoming and working alongside the participants, sharing their heritage, values, and traditions. In 2024, the group of participants to the project then, were guests of the local community during the official celebration of the site’s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which coincided with the World Heritage Committee’s Meeting in New Delhi. This experience reinforced the project’s focus on UNESCO’s role in cultural heritage protection and highlighted the local-global connections inherent in World Heritage sites.
The educational programme will provide the participants with an overview on heritage documentation and conservation, combining practical fieldwork with guided tours, and expert-led discussions. Topics will include the history and philosophy of the Moravian Church, the significance of Herrnhut in a global context, and the role of UNESCO in heritage preservation. Special attention will be given to the principles of conservation ethics in active cemeteries, as well as challenges in the documentation and protection of historic burial sites.
Additionally, one element of the educational programme will be the participants’ presentations, where participants will explore burial practices, funeral traditions, and the intangible heritage associated with commemoration and mourning rituals in their countries of origin. These presentations will provide insight into how different cultures honour the deceased, the symbolic meanings embedded in burial customs, and the ways in which these traditions have evolved over time and across different societies.
The project will take place from August 31st to September 13th, 2025, and is organised by European Heritage Volunteers in collaboration with the Evangelical Brethren Community in Herrnhut, the Association of the Sponsors of God’s Acre Herrnhut, and Herrnhut Municipality.
The project is part of the World Heritage Volunteers campaign for 2025, a worldwide initiative taking place yearly within the framework of the World Heritage Education Programme at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
