The Perfect Blend of Old and New
In 1742 Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf arrived from Saxony, Germany and founded the settlement now known as Lititz. The town was named after a Bohemian Castle near the village of Kunvald. Lititz’s history is rich and vibrant, shaping the town into what it is today!
A SNEAK PEEK INTO OUR PAST
THE MORAVIAN CONNECTION
The Moravians are the oldest protestant denomination in the world. In the 18th Century Moravians left Saxony in great numbers as missionaries to all parts of the world. Many came to the New World to do mission work to the Indians and settlers and to develop communities such as Lititz.
COUNT NICHOLAS LUDWIG VON ZINZENDORF
He was a nobleman born in 1700 in Dresden. Although he studied law, his dream was to establish a model Christian Community based on Moravian ideology. As Moravians began being persecuted for their beliefs, the Count left Germany to come to the new world where religious freedom was allowed. He first visited Pennsylvania in 1741, met with leaders of the time such as Benjamin Franklin, and reached agreement for the establishment of a free Moravian movement. That was the beginning of Lititz.
THE WOUNDS OF WAR
In 1777, during the American Revolution, General Washington ordered 250 wounded and sick soldiers be quartered in Lititz. The Moravian Brothers’ House, built in 1759, was approved to serve as a hospital.
NATION’S OLDEST GIRLS SCHOOL.
Lititz is home to Linden Hall, the oldest all-girls boarding school in the United States. Linden Hall was founded by the Moravians in 1746.
DRINK MORE BEER
In the Moravian community of Lititz, church officials encouraged the malting of grain for a time, in hopes that increased production of beer would discourage the growing consumption of distilled liquor.
PRETZELS STARTED HERE
Founded in 1861, the Julius Sturgis Pretzel bakery is the oldest commercial pretzel bakery in America and remains active today.
THE CHAMP’S CHOCOLATE.
Wilbur Chocolate Company’s famous Wilbur Buds were first indroduced in 1894. In 1978, Muhammad Ali interrupted his training for his rematch with Leon Spinks to hold a press conference in Lititz, announcing his Muhammad Ali Crisp Crunch candy bar made by Wilbur Chocolate.
A GOOD PLACE FOR A DRINK.
The earliest tavern in Lititz was “Zum Anker” built in 1764 and rebuilt/added to in 1804, in 1848, and in 1930. The four-story hotel is now known as the “General Sutter Inn”.