Die Geschichte der Herrnhuter Sozietät in Altona 1763–1880

Abstract

The Moravians were only present in Altona for just over a century and left hardly any traces there. Nevertheless, the study of the history of the Moravi-ans in this place remains of interest because, on the one hand, the topic gives an impression of the Pietist environment in Danish Altona, which knew how to take advantage of its independence from Lutheran orthodoxy in nearby Hamburg, and, on the other hand, it touches on fundamental questions about the role of the Moravian societies in large cities. As before in Pilgerruh, the beginning of Moravian activity in Altona began in the footsteps and with the help of the Mennonites. In 1763 Georg Jacob Engelbach, the first Moravi-an preacher, was commissioned to hold preaching meetings in the so-called Blaufärberkirche. However, after several disputes with the Lutheran church leadership and the Danish court, the concession was limited to preaching activities; other official activities remained prohibited. Nevertheless, these sermons were so popular that the Society built its own hall, which was inau-gurated in 1812. By this time, however, financing the building had become impossible, which led to the economic decline of the Society. It was also at this time that membership began to decline. Attempts at rescue, such as the assumption of liabilities by the Christiansfeld municipality in 1814, failed. In the end, it was the simultaneous affiliation of the members of the partnership with other churches in Altona, as well as the character of the church as a mere place of preaching, which did not allow for further development and finally led to the dissolution of the Society in 1880.