This is the White City of Tel Aviv, Bauhaus World Heritage architecture

Did you know Tel Aviv, is part of the list of Heritage for the Unesco?

I admit that until I got to visit her in a trip to Israel I had no knowledge of it.

But what is the reason for this recognition of Tel Aviv?

In reality the award focuses on the residential areas that are called the Tel Aviv White City, the result of the construction of the city with the Architectonic style Bauhaus (or international) during the first half of the 20th century.

Bauhaus architecture in Tel Aviv

La Tel Aviv city was born in 1909 when pioneer groups left the ancient port of Yafo to create a first Jewish community in the desert lands that extended along the coast.

But it was during the period of British mandate in Palestine, starting in 1917, when the first major urban development of the city took place.

Specifically, in 1927, an urban plan commissioned by the first mayor of Tel Aviv, which was designed by the British architect Patrick Geddes.

However, this plan did not consider any specific architectural style for the buildings to be built for the new Tel Aviv.

At that time, the arrival of numerous German Jewish architects who followed the guidelines of the Bauhaus school, which had just been closed by the Nazis.

These architects were the ones who carried out the construction of the new buildings that were built from then until 1948, to which they applied the architectural style known outside Europe as international style.

What to see in White City of Tel Aviv

Of course, many of the architectural guidelines that prevailed in the Bauhaus European Union had to be adapted to the rigors of the climate in these lands of the Near East.

For example, the preeminence of white on the facades to reflect sunlight, or the long, narrow balconies that extend along the facade to shade the windows.

Likewise, the hot climate of the area prevented the installation of the large windows of European buildings, and the gabled roofs were replaced by flat terraces.

The vast majority were built in concrete, in these buildings the basic style rules Bauhaus, such as the functional nature of the design and the use of cheap materials to promote the rapid and massive construction of homes.

Although in the following decades many of the buildings constructed deteriorated until they were destroyed, the declaration in 2003 of the Tel Aviv White City as Heritage It involved the protection of some 4.000 buildings.

Now in your Tel Aviv visit, in a large area of ​​​​residential neighborhoods in the city you can see many of these buildings Bauhaus that are gradually being restored.

Specifically in the neighborhood where you can also see the building of the old Tel Aviv city hall or the house-museum of the national poet Bialik, and where you will also find several diplomatic headquarters.

During your visit you will see that these blocks of functional buildings are surrounded by garden areas with large trees and palm trees that provide the much-needed shade from the harsh heat of the area.

Notice the curved shapes on the façade that make them look like ships, or the rows of windows shaped like thermometers to give light to the stairs.

Bauhaus Tel Aviv Center, guided tours of the White City

On the other hand, to deepen your knowledge of this type of architecture and its application in the Israeli city, you can visit the Bauhaus Tel Aviv Center installed in the Liebling Haus, a school building Bauhaus built 80 years ago.

This center is the result of collaboration between the city council, the Tel Aviv Foundation and the German government, and aims to highlight the great architectural heritage of the White City.

In addition to a permanent exhibition on Bauhaus architecture, this center offers guided tours to deepen your knowledge, as well as a audioguide an hour and a half long to take a tour on your own.

The Bauhaus Tel Aviv Center visiting hours They are: Sunday to Thursday, from 9,20:20 a.m. to 9,30 p.m.; Fridays, from 15:XNUMX a.m. to XNUMX p.m.; and on Saturdays it is closed.

In short, you Tel Aviv visit will be incomplete if you don't take a walk through the residential areas of your White City.