Berthelsdorf ( hsb, Batromjecy) is a former municipality in the district of

Görlitz Görlitz (; pl, Zgorzelec, hsb, Zhorjelc, cz, Zhořelec, :de:Ostlausitzer Mundart, East Lusatian dialect: ''Gerlz'', ''Gerltz'', ''Gerltsch'') is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is located on the Lusatian Neisse River, and ...

, in the southeastern part of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

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

Herrnhut Herrnhut ( Sorbian: ''Ochranow''; cs, Ochranov) is an Upper Lusatian town in the Görlitz district in Saxony, Germany, known for the community of the Moravian Church established by Nicolas Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf in 1722. Geography It is ...

.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, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. Nicolaus Ludwig Count von

Zinzendorf Nikolaus Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf (26 May 1700 – 9 May 1760) was a German religious and social reformer, bishop of the Moravian Church, founder of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, Christian mission pioneer and a major figu ...

, 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 ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...

"'' - ''"

House of God ''The House of God'' is a satirical novel by Samuel Shem (a pseudonym used by psychiatrist Stephen Bergman), published in 1978. The novel follows a group of medical interns at a fictionalized version of Beth Israel Hospital over the course o ...

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

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in Berthelsdorf, he agreed to receive

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

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

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

upon his new estate. The first group arrived in December, 1721, 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 (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

oppression in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, now the

. Under the guidance of Zinzendorf they united to renew the ancient

Unitas Fratrum The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

. 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 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 community activities, ...

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

Moravian Church The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

, 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 which 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 Mi ...

. 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 of ...

from nearby

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, 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 Imperial Count Christian Renatus von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf (September 19, 1727 - May 28, 1752) was the charismatic leader of the Single Brethren's Choir of the Moravian Church and of Herrnhaag (The Lord’s Grove), a Christian religious commun ...

(1727 - 1752), son of Nikolaus Ludwig, born here *

August Gottlieb Spangenberg August Gottlieb Spangenberg (15 July 170418 September 1792) was a German theologian and minister, and a bishop of the Moravian Church. As successor of Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf, he helped develop international missions and stabilized the theology a ...

(1704 - 1792), lived and died here *

Johannes Baptista von Albertini Johannes Baptista von Albertini (17 February 1769 – 6 December 1831) was a German botanist, mycologist and clergyman of the Moravian Church. He was born in the town of Neuwied. He studied theology in Niesky and at the seminary in Barby. Dur ...

(1769, Neuwied - 1831), lived and died here *

Adolf Gottlieb Fiedler Adolf Gottlieb (also: Gottlob) Fiedler (1771 – 12 August 1850) was a German entrepreneur in Saxony and Poland. Life Born in Dresden as the son of Christian Gottlob Fiedler, Adolf was one of the most important cloth producers of Saxony in t ...

(1771 - 1850), an entrepreneur, made a factory in here * Peter Latrobe (1795, London - 1863), son of the English Moravian clergyman

Christian Ignatius Latrobe Christian Ignatius Latrobe (12 February 1758 – 6 May 1836) was an English clergyman of the Moravian Church, as well as an artist, musician and composer. He created a large number of works for, and most famously edited, a ''Selection of Sacred ...

, lived and died here *

Heinrich Wullschlägel Heinrich Rudolf Wullschlägel (1 February 1805, Sarepta, Saratov Governorate, Russian Empire (now part of Volgograd) – 29 March 1864, Berthelsdorf, Germany) was born in the Moravian Colony of Sarepta in Russia and was a Dutch-German bishop, bota ...

(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 to Europe, especially ...

(1853 - 1940) *

Martin Rade Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

(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