Bauhaus in the White City

 

An exhibition in Saarbrücken sheds light on the history of the architectural style in Tel Aviv.

 

The differences could not be more striking. Jerusalem is around 7,000 years old, with traces of history waiting to be discovered seemingly round every corner. Israel’s second megacity is very much the opposite. The people who live in Tel Aviv are pretty hip – or at least they think they are. Everything is more stylish, more expensive and faster. The metropolis is home some 400,000 people; the conurbation as a whole counts a whopping 3.3 million. Taking a stroll through the city you will swiftly notice that something is missing here: You will neither be able to spot any remnants from Classical Antiquity nor any Medieval buildings, indeed the city does not even boast 19th-century architecture.

Needless to say, there is a reason for this: For Jewish immigrants, the seaport of Jaffa was the gateway to their new home. In summer of 1909, 60 families came together in the desert outside the city and founded a new estate upon the sand: Tel Aviv. The First World War and anti-Semitic sentiment in Russia subsequently caused a surge in migration by European Jews, leading to rapid growth in the city and necessitating a masterplan. In 1925, Scotsman Patrick Geddes drew up such a masterplan on behalf of the government of the British Mandate. Geddes designed Tel Aviv as a garden city with wide boulevards, residential streets and plenty of parks and greens.

 

When the Nazis seized power in Germany in 1933 this prompted another Jewish exodus. Even though the majority of Jewish intellectuals who were forced into exile, having been banned from their professions and suffered great harassment, headed for the United States, a great many of them also relocated to what would later become the State of Israel. Including some 20 students and master students from the Bauhaus in Dessau – that famous seedbed of architecture, design and art that the Nazis closed in 1933. And it was this group of immigrants who were to be decisive in shaping architecture in the country, and in the city of Tel Aviv.

 

Now the exhibition “Bauhaus – Mythos und Wirklichkeit” (Bauhaus – myth and reality) hosted by the Saarland Chamber of Architects in Saarbrücken sheds light on the outstanding examples of Bauhaus architecture in Tel Aviv. Between 1931 und 1947, some 4,000 buildings were erected in the Bauhaus style and in the International Style. Indeed, new builds in downtown Tel Aviv continued to reference these two related building styles well into the 1970s. Today these structures form a coherent quarter in the heart of the city. Their white plaster façades have lent Tel Aviv its nick name: “The White City”. Sadly, Israel was somewhat reluctant to recognize the immense value of this unique ensemble of buildings. Indeed, even citizens of the city were surprised when it was granted the status of UNSECO World Heritage Site in 2003. It had not even applied for such a title. It was Michael Levin, Professor for Urban Planning and architecture historian in Israel, who had single-handedly campaigned for the accolade. Today there is a documentation centre and a small Bauhaus museum. And in the form of the “Network of the White City of Tel Aviv” project, Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and the German-Israeli Society are moreover supporting the foundation of a centre for heritage-listed construction in Tel Aviv.

 

Plans to revitalize the district were drawn up in 2008. Approx. 1,000 buildings make up a cultural heritage asset that is most worthy of protection, and 180 of them may not be altered in any way. Additional stories may be added to the remaining buildings and the revenue generated by the extension invested in maintenance and refurbishment. Not an easy task, remarks exhibition curator and photographer Johannes Peter, because such alterations may impact adversely on the building’s aesthetic look-and-feel. That is why, as Peter explains, some owners have resorted to a little trick: The superstructures are simply set back from the main façade in an effort to conceal them.

 

Despite the great variety of individual buildings they are unequivocally united by a common style. True to the Bauhaus maxim of “Form follows function” the Israeli buildings represent a cautious next step in the evolution of the Bauhaus style. Two or three stories high, the structures typically boast façades bereft of any décor and ornament, cubist elements, curves, narrow strip windows, and asymmetries. Pergolas provide shade in the Mediterranean’s hot climate.

 

In the early 1930s, Erich Mendelsohn and Oskar Kaufmann were two renowned German architects to begin building in Tel Aviv; they were joined later by budding colleagues such as Munio Weinraub and Arieh Sharon. For the city, the architects’ relocation was a lucky coincidence – and not just in terms of aesthetics. For these Bauhaus architects were idealists. Based on Geddes’ concept of the garden city their plan was to transform the urban space into a vibrant oasis where people would enjoy living. Parks and gardens were to serve as recreational facilities. While wide boulevards would create an atmosphere of spaciousness and airiness. The flat roofs were intended as social spaces used by the inhabitants. Women’s emancipation was likewise a concern of these architects. Meaning they consciously opted for small kitchens as these would shorten the time women spent at the stove, while making space available for extensive living and dining rooms.

 

The small exhibition in Saarbrücken uses displays and photographs to provide a vivid presentation of the history and genesis of the Bauhaus in Tel Aviv. It also promotes the preservation of the existing buildings.

    

“Bauhaus – Mythos und Wirklichkeit”

Architektenkammer des Saarlandes, Am Neumarkt 11, Saarbrücken, Germany

until 2 December 2015

Opening times: Mon−Thurs 8.30 a.m.−4.30 p.m., Fri 8.30 a.m.− 2.30 p.m.  (prior registration advisable)

www.netzwerk-weisse-stadt.de