White City of Tel-Aviv

The White City is the name given to Tel Aviv because of the large number of white, or light-colored buildings built there between the 1920s and the 1950s in the Bauhaus or International style.

Over 4000 buildings in these styles can still be seen in central Tel Aviv; the largest concentration in any one city in the world.

Year Decision Comments
2003 Inscribed Reasons for inscription

Reviews

elida am-david (israel):
From an attempt at continuation and improvement... The White City will find supporters and encouragement, some besmirchers... and find me looking at them with love and envy.Envy because all doing is a reason for envy. And love because I love the city, love the Bauhaus style and love those who joined me in its making.One can write about it, and always improve it, always reiterpret it, and always know that it could have been done better.In fact, that is what the next time is for.
Date posted: January 2009
Assif Am-David (Israel):
Tel Aviv is my home city and I love it. Nonetheless I feel obliged to warn the visitor from its quite ugly architecture and neglected look. It is a vibrant, young, interesting and welcoming place - but forget all you know about Classical beauty. The White City is unfortunately no exception to what I've just said. It's maybe historically interesting or significant but is generally quite ugly and badly maintained. The main boulevard crossing the White City is Rotschield which is nice and lively and offers great cafes and pubs. I wouldn't come with too high expectations regarding the architecture but I'm no expert in Bauhaus so perhaps I'm just wrong.
Date posted: November 2008
Xeres Nelro (Canada):
i personally wasn't so impressed with this site. this may have had something to do with the fact that i visited it, directly after a 11 hour flight, with no sleep in between. still, a lot of the buildings are very similar to what i see everyday at home; though there are some exceptional ones. i understand that this site holds value as the first city to be built entirely in the Bauhaus style, it's just not super impressive. i would recommend visiting this site if you have time, and are in the area, but you shouldn't go out of your way to see it (tel aviv how ever has many great other attractions)
Date posted: July 2008
Christer Sundberg (Sweden):
I must admit that I had not read up properly on this World Heritage Site – Tel Aviv, the White City. I knew as much as it was all about architecture and my first thought was that I’d have to go and see a few houses, an easy task… but little did I know…having visited the local tourist information I was thoroughly enlightened and given a map of the city I then realised that over 300-400 houses was included in the World Heritage Site of Tel Aviv. Representing what was called the New Movement, a Bauhaus style imported from Germany, has made Tel Aviv become a Miami-look-a-like.

Together with its southern cousin Jaffa, one of the oldest ports in the world, Tel Aviv is a very nice and surprisingly laid-back city. I will forever remember the lush streets and the long beach walk where I was served the creamiest cappuccino I’ve ever tasted in my life. Last but not least I must also admit that I admire the relaxed attitude towards the Middle Eastern problems. There might be militaries, guns and checkpoints at every store or train station but the locals seem to take the whole thing with a smile. On the other hand, what choice do they have…?
Date posted: June 2006
Robert Lebow (USA & ISRAEL):
I have been a frequent and regular visitor and resident in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv remains the greatest collection of Modern Movement architecture I have ever seen. Although many, possibly most buildings, have been altered, the alterations are not of a permenant nature. The most common and nearly ubiquitous change is the addition of "treeseem", sliding louvered blinds enclosing the open air porches or negative spaces of the buildings. The renovations which have been ongoing for several years are remarkable. Many of the renovated buildings appear to be pristiine in condition. Those buildiings with contemporary additions are done so that a clear and obvious distinction remains between the old and the new. Tel Aviv is THE MUST SEE city for modernists.
 


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