From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Berthelsdorf is a municipality in the district of Löbau-Zittau, in the southeastern part of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. The municipality is next to the Czech Republic and Poland. Nicolaus Ludwig, Imperial Count von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf bought the Berthelsdorf estate from his grandmother, Catharina von Gersdorf, in 1722, where he built his manor house "Bethel"--"House of God". Soon after buying the estate and calling Johannn Andreas Rothe as pastor of the Lutheran parish in Berthelsdorf, he agreed to receive Protestant exiles from Moravia upon his estate. The first group arrived in June, 1722, under the leadership of carpenter Christian David. They founded the nearby city of Herrnhut on the estate on 17 June, 1722. They were later joined by several hundred other refugees from Habsburg oppression in Bohemia/Moravia. Under the guidance of Zinzendorf they united to renew the ancient Unitas Fratrum. 13 August, 1727, is the date usually considered as the renewal date, which took place in the parish church in Berthelsdorf. From Berthelsdorf and Herrnhut then the Brüdergemeine, in English, the Moravian Church, spread out across the world, beginning in 1732 with the sending of the first Moravian missionaries.
The municipality has two subdivisions: Rennersdorf and Berthelsdorf.
Germany
