BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Organizers have canceled an international symposium that was to be held next month centered around the city’s recent inclusion as a World Heritage Site for its preserved Moravian settlement.
They announced the cancellation Thursday.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Moravian Church Settlements said on its website.
“Like many organizations, we are responding to a complex and rapidly changing landscape that has made traditional event planning especially difficult.”
Moravian Church Settlements website
“In recent months, a combination of factors including increased financial pressures on individuals and institutions, evolving travel restrictions, and uncertainty surrounding federal and cultural heritage funding, has created significant challenges for large-scale in-person convenings across our sector.
“Like many organizations, we are responding to a complex and rapidly changing landscape that has made traditional event planning especially difficult.”
'Explore the past, present, future'
The symposium was being organized by the International Council on Monuments and Sites USA.
It was to mark the organization’s 60th anniversary and celebrate America’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bethlehem from June 4-6.
The three-day conference was set for Moravian University’s Foy Concert Hall.
The university, which oversees the Moravian Church Settlements group, previously said the conference would “bring together leading preservation experts to explore the past, present, and future of cultural heritage conservation in the United States.
“The symposium will feature distinguished speakers, panel discussions, and opportunities for professional networking in one of the nation’s most significant historic locations,” organizers previously said.
Bethlehem’s roughly 10-acre Moravian Church settlement — which led to the founding of the city — was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site last year.
It was included among other Moravian sites in Christiansfeld, Denmark; Gracehill, Northern Ireland; and Herrnhut, Germany.