Herrnhut

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Herrnhut


Country	Germany
State	Saxony
Administrative region	Dresden
District	Löbau-Zittau
Population	2,747 (2005)
Area	19.88 km²
Population density	141 /km²
Elevation	344 m
Coordinates	51°1′ N 14°44′ E
Postal code	02747
Area code	035873
Licence plate code	ZI
Mayor	Rainer Fischer
Website	herrnhut.de

Herrnhut (Sorbian: Ochranow) is a municipality in the district of Löbau-Zittau, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.

It has access to route 178 between Löbau and Zittau. Its bordering municipalities are Berthelsdorf, Großhennersdorf and Strahwalde.

[edit] Coat of arms

Its colors are blue and white, showing the tower of the "Altan," the lookout tower atop the "Hutberg" hill above the city, built originally by Nicolaus Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf for his wife Erdmuth Dorothea, born Countess von Reuss Ebersdorf. The name of the 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 Watch"; the inhabitants were to be "on watch for the Lord" as they were also "under the Lord's watchful care". The Moravian graveyard, or God's Acre, is on the western slope of the Hutberg.

[edit] Other

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".

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 Advents Stern).