Herrnhut

Herrnhut
Coat of arms
Herrnhut
Location of Herrnhut within Görlitz district
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Görlitz
Government
• Mayor	Rainer Fischer
Area
• Total	73.94 km2 (28.55 sq mi)
Population (2014-12-31)
• Total	6,220
• Density	84/km2 (220/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	02747
Dialling codes	035873
Vehicle registration	GR
Website	www.herrnhut.de

Herrnhut (Sorbian: Ochranow; Czech: Ochranov) is a municipality in Görlitz district in eastern Saxony, Germany. Herrnhut is also the name of the largest town in the municipality.

It is located on the road Bundesstraße 178, and on the Löbau–Zittau railway. Herrnhut is 10 km south-east of Löbau, 15 km north-west of Zittau, and 25 km south-west of Görlitz.

The municipality borders on, among other municipalities, Oderwitz. It was founded in the early 18th century by German speaking religious exiles from Moravia on the estate of German nobleman Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, after meeting with their leader Christian David, who came from Moravia.

Subdivisions

Since 1 January 2013, when Berthelsdorf was incorporated, the municipality contains 11 subdivisions:

• Herrnhut (original town)
• Ninive
• Ruppersdorf
• Schwan
• Friedensthal
• Strahwalde
• Euldorf
• Großhennersdorf
• Heuscheune
• Neundorf auf dem Eigen
• Schönbrunn
• Berthelsdorf
• Rennersdorf/O.L.

Population

Year	1834	1871	1890	1910	1925	1939	1946	1950	1964	1990	2000	2010
Population	899	1092	1139	1364	1664	1627	2024	2025	1808	1754	2842	4963

According to the Saxon state congress in 1777, Herrnhut contained 76 homes.

In the mid-19th century the population rose above 1,000, and after World War II it reached more than 2,000. Since the 1950s there has been a decline in population, which was compensated for by the incorporation of neighboring municipalities.

Location maps

• 

  Map of Oberreit with Herrnhut, around 1845

• 

  Map of Oberreit with Herrnhut and Strahwalde, around 1845

• 

  Map of Oberreit with Herrnhut and Ruppersdorf, around 1845

• 

  current map of Görlitz district, with Herrnhut in red

Coat of arms

The Herrnhut coat of arms is blue and white, showing the tower of the Altan (the lookout tower) atop the Hutberg hill above the city. The name of Hutberg hill ("Hill of Watching") suggested the name of the Moravian settlement founded by these exiles on the Zinzendorf estate in 1722. Herrn Hut means "the Lord's Watchful care".

Culture

Herrnhut has a church and two museums, including a museum of local history. It is the center of the worldwide Moravian Church, the Unitas Fratrum, in German Brüder-Unität or Brüdergemeine. Many European languages have named the Moravian Church movement directly after Herrnhut, for example hernhuutlus in Estonian, herrnhutilaisuus in Finnish, hernhūtieši in Latvian and herrnhutismen in both Norwegian and Swedish.

The former Herrnhut train station on the decommissioned railway line Zittau-Löbau has been turned into an art gallery.

Economy

Its economy is based on church administration, education, tourism and manufacturing, including a 26-pointed star that is often hung in windows and on porches during the Christmas season, which has been produced for over 150 years. It is called the Moravian Advent Star (Herrnhuter Adventsstern).

Image gallery

• 

  Herrnhut, 1765

• 

  Church hall in Herrnhut

• 

  Vogtshof Herrnhut - seat of the Moravian Church

• 

  Herrnhut railway station also functions as an art gallery

• 

  Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf statue in Herrnhut

• 

  Herrnhut graveyard, the cemetery of the Moravian Church since the 18th century

External links

• Herrnhuter Sterne
• Evangelische Brüder