Berthelsdorf Castle

Berthelsdorf Castle near Herrnhut dates back to Nikolaus Ludwig Count von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf. The devout man belonged to a Lower Austrian noble family who had converted to Electoral Saxony in the 17th century due to their Protestant faith. Here, his father, Georg Ludwig, married for a second time the daughter of the Landvogt of Upper Lusatia, Charlotte Justine Baroness von Gersdorff. But his father died early. Thus, the Count grew up with his pious grandmother, Henriette Katharina von Gersdorff, née von Friesen. Soon, young Zinzendorf was influenced by Pietism. On educational journeys through the Netherlands and France, he made friends with people of other denominations. The Count was one of the most famous personalities of Pietism in the 18th century.

Although Zinzendorf at that time had hardly any financial means of his own, his grandmother sold him the Mittelberthelsdorf manor in 1722. With limited financial resources, he tried to renovate the dilapidated manor in the following years. In doing so, he converted the castle into a residential building, after it had served the previous owners merely as an administrative seat. He had the walls on the first floor freed from half-timbering and rebuilt. Inside, however, the half-timbered construction remained. The installation of several chimneys also dates from this period. Just one year later, Zinzendorf moved into the manor house with his wife Erdmuthe Dorothea Countess Reuss-Ebersdorf, whom he had married the year before.

Berthelsdorf Castle stands on a square floor plan. With simple architectural means, such as plastered ashlar at the corners and a plain, centrally arranged sandstone portal, the builder succeeded in giving his manor house a distinguished impression. The high mansard roof is enlivened by three rows of dormer windows, thus emphasizing the stately impression. Inside, a spacious hall divides the ground floor. A wooden staircase leads to the living quarters on the upper floor. A rectangular courtyard is located in front of the castle.

Still in 1722, Nikolaus Ludwig Count von Zinzendorf took in a small group of Protestant refugees from Moravia, who were subjected to constant persecution, on his manor. These settled on the manor grounds near the Hutberg near Berthelsdorf and placed themselves under the care of the Lord - Herrnhut was born. Under Zinzendorf, convinced Christians from various denominations came together here to form a community of life and faith. With the new Lutheran pastor Andreas Rothe, he, as a theological autodidact, held Bible and devotional hours. But his activities soon attracted the attention of the authorities in Dresden - Zinzendorf was expelled from Saxony in 1736. Before that, he had already transferred his property to his wife Erdmuthe Dorothea in 1732.

Zinzendorf wandered restlessly. As a preacher, he traveled through the German lands, England, and North America. In 1747, he was allowed to return to Saxony, but it was not until 1755 - in the meantime consecrated as a bishop - that he finally returned to Berthelsdorf. Nikolaus Ludwig Count von Zinzendorf died in May 1760, shortly before his 60th birthday, in Herrnhut.

The castle remained with the family for some time. Finally, it passed into the possession of the Moravian Church. With the seizure of power by the National Socialists, the estate was then assigned to the Remount Office (horse breeding) of the German Wehrmacht. Although the Moravian Church regained its estate after World War II, it soon lost it again in the course of forced expropriation by the communists. As the "Thomas Müntzer" people's estate, the buildings were used until 1990. Then they stood empty. Only with the takeover by the "Freundeskreis Zinzendorf-Schloss Berthelsdorf e.V." in 2001 did life return.

The now extensively renovated castle is used in the spirit of Zinzendorf and offers, among other things, guided tours, exhibitions on questions of faith, spiritual concerts, and a meeting place.