Conference in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania, US
Conference Programme 2004
Draft Founding Document
Christiansfeld Partnership
Christiansfeld Document 2000
Moravian Settlements worldwide

Religion-related tradition in communities of historic towns: Integration and sustainable management of tangible and intangible cultural heritage values in municipalities containing congregational settlements

Christiansfeld is an outstanding example of urban heritage - its ensemble of Moravian buildings possesses remarkable architectural value. It is also a seat of the Moravian religious community in Denmark, which still owns most of the buildings, although the inhabitants are no longer entirely the members of the Moravian Church. More

Moravian Heritage constitutes a distinct element of the human patrimony: the Moravian Congregations developed a distinctive way to plan and build their settlements, taking source in their values and skills. They have spread the congregations and built such settlements in several continents, always adapting the planning and architectural ideas to local customs while retaining the core principles. Driven by the Moravian spirit of endeavour and fostered by rigor and skills, some of such settlements grew in the course of history far beyond their initial cores and attracted many inhabitants who did not become a part of the Moravian Congregations. Some of the settlements remain predominantly Moravian, while being incorporated into larger frameworks of the civil society. More

The Christiansfeld Document of 2000, starting the Christiansfeld Initiative, offered the following attitude:

§ Moravian settlements are outstanding examples of the unity of spiritual, individual and community values and their relationship to the environment;

§ Cultural heritage of Christiansfeld is to be seen as an inseparable part of identity of a living town, contributing to its quality of life;

§ Spiritual values, expressed in buildings, and their spatial organisation in landscape indivisibly and dynamically link people to their heritage. More

There are many efforts world-wide to provide integration in safeguarding of the tangible and intangible values of the urban heritage sites. However, religious community issues are often very sensitive, communities' traditions hermetic, and transfer of historic traditions and values to contemporary civic life is more complicated than this of secular historic traditions.

Recognising this, the municipality of Christiansfeld has established a partnership "The Christiansfeld Partnership" - including the key stakeholders from both the public and private sector and the Moravian Brethren - to co-ordinate the overall activities related to the integrated urban heritage management of Christiansfeld. More

The Christiansfeld Initiative of the Partnership facilitates collaboration between the stakeholders of Moravian Heritage, such as the congregations, local governments, specialised institutions, concerned organisations and interested communities to share experience on integrated revitalisation and sustainable heritage management in urban heritage sites established by religious communities. The Moravian Heritage Network, founded in 2003 in Christiansfeld, works with a number of Moravian settlements worldwide: Zeist in the Netherlands, Herrngut in Germany, Bethlehem, PA and Old Salem, NC in United States of America, Elim, Mamre and Genadendal in Western Cape province of South Africa, Fairfield in England and Gracehill in the Northern Ireland. Her Serene Highness Princess Alexandra zu Sayn Wittgenstein Berleburg is the protector of the Initiative. The Moravian Heritage network collaborates closely with UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS, ICCROM and Centre for Urban development Studies of the Harvard University. More