Birthplace of two of the world’s major religions, Israel is a land not just of antiquity but of truly ancient roots, with some of the earliest evidence of human inhabitation outside of Africa, alongside thousands of years of history at the crossroads of the world. It may come as a surprise then to learn that it’s second biggest city and economic hub, Tel Aviv, is remarkably modern, having only been founded in 1909. While it may lack the old world identity of Jerusalem and other cities in the Middle East, Tel Aviv’s nascency has blessed it with a wealth of contemporary heritage equally worthy of recognition, the standout of which is the White City.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003, the White City earned its place as a modern marvel as a result of the more than 4000 Bauhaus style buildings erected there since the 1930s, a number unmatched anywhere in the world. The site of Tel Aviv was originally a barren expanse of sand dunes north of Jaffa – I wish to clarify that this is not a joke at the expense of our readership, as the city is actually pronounced ‘ya-fa’ – an ancient port city, that began to be settled in the late 1800s and early 1900s following the two aliyahs, waves of Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe. As Jaffa swelled, the immigrants began to establish neighbourhoods in the dunes, eventually leading to the formation of the Ahuzat Bayit, or homestead society in 1906, with the intention of developing a “Hebrew urban centre in a healthy environment, planned according to the rules of aesthetics and modern hygiene.”
The site of Tel Aviv was originally a barren expanse of sand dunes north of Jaffa
Emerging at the end of World War I, Bauhaus was a German art school and design discipline that flourished in the interwar years and came to define much of the modernist approach to architecture over the subsequent decades. Despite its success, the school came to be viewed by the Nazi regime as a front for communists and social liberals and was shut down, its students dispersing across the world, taking Bauhaus with them. As their arrival en masse sparked the need for more residential and civic facilities in Tel Aviv, the new architects turned to the principles of Bauhaus to build a modern, European style city true to the ambitions of its original founders.
But the Levant coast is a vastly different place to the avenues of Europe, and just as some features of Bauhaus architecture proved indispensable, others were drastically altered to reflect the challenging desert environment. The pilotis, or pillars, seen in Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe’s Farnsworth House or Seagram Building, were frequently employed throughout Tel Aviv as a means of enhancing natural ventilation and providing shade to pedestrians, while also offering access to shared gardens. White, the quintessential colour of modernity, was selected not for its austerity but because it reflected the fierce sun. By the same merit, the large expanses of glass found in European or American incarnations of the style were abandoned in order to manage heat, with windows reduced to narrow openings in the facade or shaded underneath deep balconies, which offered essential refuge for the city’s residents and common spaces for them to congregate.
As the 20th century progressed and Tel Aviv swelled, its chic core was surrounded by drab, hastily erected apartments, and the White City began to deteriorate, with some of its buildings sadly being demolished during the 1970s. Thankfully, the Israeli government recognised the significance of its architectural heritage, and following the White City’s listing with the World Monument Fund in 1996 and UNESCO World Heritage in 2003, began a process of restoration and preservation – to date, more than 1500 buildings have been brought back to life, with at least another 1000 scheduled for restoration. Where the White City’s towers and apartments once squatted, flaked and faded like an old scar, they now stand bright, brilliant and gleaming, reminders of Tel Aviv’s utopian dream, and beacons of its modern future.
If you are ever in Tel Aviv, be sure to visit the Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv. Their knowledgeable guides lead daily walking architectural tours of the city, while their gift shop offers Bauhaus books and souvenirs to take home with you. For more information visit https://bauhaus-center.com/
