By Itzhak Rabihiya
This coming September, Tel Aviv will celebrate 100 years of Bauhaus with the grand opening of the city's official White City Center
The Liebling Haus- White City Center, co-founded by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, the Tel Aviv Foundation and the German government in an effort to advance the recognition of the outstanding architectural landscape of Tel Aviv; with its collection of over 4,000 buildings built in the International Style, also known popularly as "Bauhaus" style, which led UNESCO to declare the White City area in Tel Aviv as a World Heritage Site in 2003. Joining several leading cultural institutions in the city, the Center is a valuable source of information for both residents and visitors about the heritage of the White City.
The opening events of the Center will take place over the weekend of September 19-21 marking the international celebrations of the Bauhaus centennial in collaboration with "Open House Tel Aviv", an annual architecture event.
The White City Center offers exhibition spaces, workspaces, a research lab and a café and will host events, tours, and workshops open to the public. The Center will promote Israeli-German collaborations through innovative strategies, technologies and products that contribute to sustainable conservation. In addition, the Center will conduct applied research and promote academic and institutional collaborations. The White City Center operates at the Liebling Haus (29 Idelson St.), built for Tony and Max Liebling in 1936, and designed by architect Dov Karmi with distinct features of the International style.
Alongside the eventful opening weekend of the White City Center, "Open House Tel Aviv" an annual architecture event, will showcase hundreds of interesting homes, unique private and public buildings, with a focus on some of the best-preserved buildings of the International style. Dozens of architectural tours in various languages will also be offered throughout the city - all free-of-charge and open to the public at large.
At the end of 2015, the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Barbara Hendricks, and the Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo Ron Huldai signed a joint agreement in Berlin, allocating €3 million funding to the Center by 2025. The long-term backing enables the launch of several major projects, representing a commitment to the conservation and sustainable development of the White City. The agreement was signed as part of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel, marking the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community’s (BMI) active support of the conservation of cultural heritage, both conceptually and financially.
The collaboration highlights the historical significance and shared building culture of the White City for both countries. The project focuses on developing appropriate methods to protect the unique collection of buildings and expand the dialogue on urbanism and conservation. This is made possible by cooperating with the Architecture and Monument Protection Center, and considering the interests of residents, property owners, the urban population, visitors, architects, craftspeople, and scientists. The goal is to share technology and knowledge through a collaborative dialogue.
Renovation of the building began in the winter of 2017, turning the Liebling Haus into a living model of a construction site, demonstrating renovation, documentation, and active conservation of an International style building. During the project, dubbed "Open for Renovation", the building hosted meetings, lectures, and professional workshops, inviting the public to experience the conservation process.
