Weltburgertum oder Gottesreich

Text in German. Soon after its foundation in 1727, the Herrnhut Brothers Congregation developed an extensive travel and missionary activity. Moravian preachers wandered across Europe and built up a network of contacts with friends and like-minded people. They founded new settlements and set up numerous mission stations, including overseas. Close organizational ties held this global community together, supported by a regular, common rhythm of life and an intensive mutual exchange. In her comprehensive study, Gisela Mettele examines the principles of organization, the practices of interaction and communication within the community and also directs her attention to the 19th century, in which the global ties of the fraternal community weakened.