Monday, June 23, 2008

Bauhaus, International Style in Tel Aviv

The Tel Aviv "White City" is known for its high concentration of Bauhous Architechture. Bauhous architechture is something that a lot of architects actually care a lot about, and the buildings look pretty cool so I took a tour and posted some pictures below.

But before I get there, here is a picture of Tel Aviv soon after the land was first bought from Bedouins in 1909.


Tel Aviv was special in that it had a huge influx of refugees when the Nazis came to power in Germany. The Nazis also closed the Bauhous school and many architects trained in that style made their way to tel aviv and built these happy buildings for the new residents.



Here is a nice example of a well kept (restored actually) Bauhaus building in the International Style. They loved those curvy balconies.


On Rothschild Boulivard, Both Big Beautiful Bauhaus Buildings.


I would really like to know the story behind this building.


I like this building a lot.


I have no idea what this is about- some sort of political thing I presume. If you know what it is, please comment- but since this blog post is so huge- remember to say your explaining the picture of Hertzel. The translation of the Hebrew is something like "We don't want, We don't need"


I thought this seems to be in the wrong country- but then someone suggested that it may have been a misspelling of genteel . . .


Not all areas of the city are so well kept up, but you can see here that this corner probably looked quite nice at one point.


The borders though between the well kept, and the rundown are not always so clear.


But in the right light the bad areas can actually look okay.


This was kind of funny, like some guy was tarring up the outside of his window with some kind of instrument that was not really all that long.






This was pretty random, they were advertising some romantic French restaurant and were kind enough to pose for a picture.


New and the "old"


You should open the full version of this picture because the metalwork on the balcony is quite intricate.




These flowers were designed with the principles of form follows function.







Thermometer Building
Not all of the old buildings are in good repair. This one on the right is called the Thermometer Building and they have been trying to restore it for a while but I was told that they ran out of money.



During the 1967 war it was thought that Egypt might invade Tel Aviv- the area you see here used to be open air (the building above was supporeted by columns) but was it bricked in for protection.



The way in which old buildings are now protected in Tel Aviv requires their facades to remain the way they were- but the inside can change. You can see that a few extra stories were built on to the origional building- but behind the facade so that it can't be seen from when you stand right in front of the building.







Juxtopasition of old and new- but the old actually is not even 100 years old.




This building (same as the one in the reflection) is nearing completion. There are a large number of rather tall buildings that all seem to be right about to open.

Right- so I don't actually have an ending to this blog, but I will mention that there are 29 pictures in this one post which is I think is a record for the lanseybrothers.blogspot.com

6 comments:

  1. Hi there

    First of all Kol Hakavod ! (meaning congratulations) for your nice photos and insights. About the graffity It is a humorous paraphrase on the famous Hertzel saying "If you want that will not be a fairy tale" so that one says "if you don't want no problem" :-)) Bye Mary www.telaviv4fun.com

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  2. Although I haven't been back to Tel Aviv in a couple of years, I dispute the previous poster's statement that the graffiti is a "humorous paraphrase". True, it is a spin on Herzl's words, but it is actually a condemnation of Zionism (Herzl was the father of modern Zionism).

    Herzl's famous statement which became the motto of the Zionist movement, was: "If you will it, it is no dream." The actual translation of the graffiti is: "If you don't want it, you don't need it." Ergo, Zionism is now a disposable option.

    This is anti-Zionist propaganda, not surprising considering Tel Aviv is a very left-wing city. But fortunately, in Israel, it is not illegal to protest against the founding principles of the Jewish state (Zionism).

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  3. Thanks for the all the flower pictures.

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  4. Thanks for sharing all those great photos. One of our writers recently visited the Bauhaus Museum In Tel-Aviv and wrote about his experience, www.dvisible.com, if you're curious.
    Thanks!

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  5. In 1909, Jewish from Jaffa create their own town, not "bedouins"...

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  6. aaah... bauhaus... I grew up in a city full of bauhaus/constructivism buildings. just came across this -- check it out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shibanov/sets/72157626668884505/with/5810519657/

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