Synopsis
Next year, 250 years will have passed since the death of a man whose name is familiar to Christians in most parts of the world. Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf had both the talent and skills to be able to stand the test in any country or generation. However, he was born in Germany in the early 18th century and thus he became an apostle of the Pietism of the Moravian Brethren, a life style those days would really call for. He became a driving force of a spiritual awakening which has by now influenced various fields of the Christian world. The proposed documentary will introduce primarily his connection to the Czech lands, i.e. the period from 1722 on. Then, the followers of the Czech Brethren coming primarily from Fulnek (the sphere of activity of Comenius) found a refuge from persecution at Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf's estate. He enabled them (as well as other Pietist groups) to found a protected village Ochranov (Herrnhut). This is where the simple and even naive piety gave life to a life style that grew to become a significant missionary activity. This is where the renewed Unity of the Brethren (Unitas Fratrum) was founded, with Nicolaus Zinzendorf becoming its first bishop. From 1732 on, almost three hundred men and women (missionaries) left for the West Indies, a year later for Greenland. Their missionary activities were especially powerful in Central America where they fought for the rights of the local inhabitants (Salvador). Thanks to Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, the heritage of the Unity of the Czech Brethren, the latest offspring of the Czech reformation, spread to the remotest spots on the planet, staying alive until today.
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