The White City is a familiar nickname for several old areas of Tel-Aviv, where there are more than 4,000 buildings built in an international architectural style – this is the highest concentration of this style of building in the world.
25/06/2012,
Written by Yourway Team
Most of the buildings in this international style were constructed between the 30's and the country's establishment, they were designed by Jewish architects most of whom originated from Germany. Most of the buildings in the White City are in the center of Tel-Aviv, between Ebn Gvirol Street and Derech Begin in the east, Allenby Street and the southern train station, the Yarkon River in the north and the sea in the west. In 2003 UNESCO named the White City area of Tel-Aviv a National Heritage Site.
After UNESCO announced Tel-Aviv as a National Heritage Site and thanks to the funds given to Tel-Aviv municipality hundreds of these buildings were renovated and named protected buildings – and the results were outstanding. For this reason, we thought it appropriate to offer you the opportunity to get a taste of these buildings which in our opinion are truly impressive.
The Pagoda House
So we start the tour on no other than well known Rothschild Street. Sderot Rothschild was one of Tel-Aviv's first avenues and in fact has been the dynamic center of the city since the early days. For this reason, you can find on Rothschild Avenue and on the surrounding streets, 373 buildings which have been declared UNESCO protected properties. It is best to begin your walk from the northern side (by the Habima Square). At the very beginning of your walk south you will come across incredible buildings some of which have interesting historic stories. The buildings are spread out from the southern end of the street and up to the most northerly point, including Tel-Aviv's first kiosk.
Rothschild street
The First Kiosk in Tel Aviv
The next section is one of the most special areas in the city – Bialik Square. This square was named after the Israeli poet Chaim Nachman Bialik. In an unprecedented move the square was given his name while he was still alive. The square and the buildings around it comprise one of the most impressive areas of architecture in the city.
Bialik Square
Bialik Square
A short walk from here, is Nachlat Benjamin. A pedestrian street built in 1909 here you can see some of the city's most unique structures. Along the length of the street many of the buildings are of an eclectic style, and on some of them you can still see the decorative art nouveau tiles. In 1985 a proposal was accepted to turn part of the street into a pedestrian street. On the 18th March 1986 part of the street was closed off to traffic and the northern part of the street was reopened as a pedestrian only zone. In this area in particular you can see these impressive buildings.
After the square you can continue towards the famous Dizengoff Square. The square was part of the Geddes Project, a master plan prepared by the Tel-Aviv municipality, designed by Patrick Geddes a Scottish urban planner. The square design was done by the architect Genia Averbuch, who won a design competition for the square in 1934. The plan was done according to criterion of an international style which was the main architectural style in Tel-Aviv at that time. The square itself is surrounded by buildings which have unique architecture.
Dizengoff Square
At this point we finish off the tour and remind you that in every city it is possible to find buildings with interesting architecture, not in such a high concentration as Tel-Aviv but you can still find them. So we hope you enjoyed yourself and broadened your knowledge on the subject.