| Berthelsdorf | |
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Berthelsdorf
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Location of Berthelsdorf within Görlitz district
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| Coordinates | |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony |
| Admin. region | Dresden |
| District | Görlitz |
| Municipal assoc. | Herrnhut |
| Local subdivisions | 2 |
| Mayor | Günter John |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 22.24 km2 (8.59 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 290 m (951 ft) |
| Population | 1,647 (31 December 2010)[1] |
| - Density | 74 /km2 (192 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | GR |
| Postal code | 02747 |
| Area code | 035873 |
| Website | www.berthelsdorf.de |
Berthelsdorf (Upper Sorbian: Batromjecy) is a municipality in the district of Görlitz, in the southeastern part of the Free State of Saxony, Germany.
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The municipality is next to the Czech Republic and Poland. Nikolaus Ludwig, Imperial Count von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf bought the Berthelsdorf estates (Upper, Middle and Lower Berthelsdorf) from his grandmother, Catharina, Baroness von Gersdorf(f) (de), in 1722, where he built his manor house "Beth·el" - "House of God" in Middle Berthelsdorf. Soon after buying the estates and calling Johann Andreas Rothe as pastor of the Lutheran parish in Berthelsdorf, he agreed to receive Protestant exiles from the Kuhländchen (de) in Moravia upon his new estate.
The first group arrived in December, 1721, under the leadership of carpenter Christian David. They founded the nearby city of Herrnhut on the estate. They were later joined by several hundred other refugees from Habsburg oppression in Bohemia/ Moravia, now the Czech Republic. 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.
Zinzendorf also provided sanctuary in Berthelsdorf to persecuted followers of mystic Caspar Schwenckfeld from nearby Silesia. They were forced by the Electoral Saxon government to emigrate to Pennsylvania, and Zinzendorf sent 2 Moravians to accompany them in 1734–35, in order to scout out the mission possibilities in America.
The municipality has two subdivisions: Rennersdorf and Berthelsdorf.
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