In the 18th century, a group of people from the village Herrnhut in Saxony settled on the estate of Zeist Castle. They were members of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, also known as the Unity of the Brethren or the Moravian Church.
Their settlement flourished, and they built their own church, houses and schools, and their own cemetery.
The Moravian Church is still present in Zeist, but not as visible as before. Their heritage remains, though, and can still be seen just outside the castle.
Since they arrived in the mid 18th century, members of the Moravian Church buried their dead in their own cemetery, Gods Akker (Field of God), making it one of the oldest cemeteries of the country. All graves have a square, flat stone – there is no headstone in the entire graveyard. The graves are in neat rows. At first sight, the graves seem uniform, but on closer inspection there are many stones that are different from the rest. Many graves are mossy and unreadable, others (even the older ones) are surprisingly well maintained and perfectly readable.
I will start sharing photos from individual graves soon, but for today, enjoy the photo impression!
Entrance
The plaque at the entrance states the cemetery was in use from 1747 until 2005.
Uniform graves in neat rows
Uniform graves in neat rows
Uniform graves in neat rows, but the stones are slightly different from each other
Many graves are mossy, and the inscription worn off
Some of the recent graves are surrounded by a small hedge
The newest graves often have flowers, shrubs and hedges
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