Across the country mills, houses and churches shared their rich heritage. Heritage Open Day 2024, arranged by the National Trust, was hopefully a success for all the fascinating places that opened their doors and shared their stories and crafts.
Moravian Settlements and churches across the UK shared their history: local stories, history of links with central Europe and strong worldwide connections. Fulneck is one of the four Moravian settlements in the UK, along with some mini-settlements: the other settlements are Ockbrook, in Derbyshire, Fairfield near Manchester and Gracehill in Northern Ireland.
As described in my previous post, Gracehill became a World Heritage Site this year, helping to share the Moravian story across the globe. In case you missed it, here is my previous post:
https://elizabethwe.co.uk/changing-direction/
At Fulneck our theme was ‘here, there and everywhere’ which gave plenty of opportunity to gather together stories of folk who came to Fulneck and left to travel the world. During Heritage Day visitors were able to take a tour of the settlement, walking along the terrace in the sun (wow, how lucky was that) and hearing about the different trades that offered employment to those living on the settlement. The museum offered a closer look at how people lived in Fulneck, together with gifts from our Moravian churches, including from south-east Asia and Labrador.
The exhibition celebrated our history with a map of Czechia, where the Moravian church, also known as Unitas Fratrum, started in the 1400s. By 1620 the persecution drove people from their homes and these refugees were offered land to settle in Herrnhut, Germany, by Count Zinzendorf. From Herrnhut Moravians have for centuries gone out to work alongside people in many parts of the world: Moravians are particularly well known for their work in education and health.
Globe and tree of the world Map of Czechia and the Pilgrims Way (Via Exulantis)
One important story that was told this year was of the link between John Wesley, Benjamin Ingham and the Moravians. Ingham is a common name in the north of England and Benjamin Ingham had many religious groups who met regularly in the 1700s. At the same time, John and his brother Charles were starting to bring together the Methodist Church. The three of them met on a ship sailing to the Americas. Plenty of time to share their views on religion and much more – no six hour flights for them.
Benjamin Ingham and John Wesley met Moravians while sailing to the Americas. They then visited Herrnhut in 1738
Like each of the Moravian settlements, Fulneck has a rich and interesting history. The two people we know of that started their lives in Moravia, where there was a large estate called Fulnec, and then visited Fulneck near Leeds are Teltschik and Anna Nitschmann. Anna was born in 1715 in Kunvald, Czechia: her family were descended from the Fulnec estate. Anna was a strong woman who travelled widely and worked tireless within the Church, particularly in support of women. Look out for more of her story in the months to come.
Anna Nitschmann
A quick personal note. Fulnec today in Czechia is a beautiful town, still dominated by a fine castle. By the time I write my next post I will have visited that area of Czechia and also spent time in Prague, so plenty of Moravian stories and photographs to share.
Fulnec at sunset
I hope you have enjoyed reading this and always welcome your comments and suggestions. Please share this with others who may be interested.
Mary
Recent Comments