Visit the site of the historic Tel Aviv-Jaffa railroad station and see how a junkyard full of history has been turned into a delightful tourist attraction.
By AVIVA BAR-AMThe restored train station in Jaffa(photo credit: SHMUEL BAR-AM)
Sir Moses Montefiore visited the Holy Land seven times, often accompanied by his wife. His took his first trip here in 1827; his last visit was 48 years later, at the age of 91.At some point – perhaps as he got older and found it increasingly difficult to make the trek up the Jerusalem hills by carriage – he became the first to propose a railroad that would run from the coast to the Holy City. Others took him up on the idea later on, but it was Jerusalem entrepreneur Yosef Navon who finally got the project moving. However, although he managed to get a franchise from the ruling Turks to build the railroad, Navon ran out of funds before he could finish the project. In the end, he transferred the franchise to a French company – Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jérusalem et Prolongements – which completed the tracks in 1892. On the day the first train reached Jerusalem, newspaper headlines loudly proclaimed: “The steam engine is coming!” The first trains were agonizingly slow. Indeed, newspapers commented on the train’s pace by joking about passengers who needed a pit stop: They claimed that passengers jumped off and climbed back on the train without missing a beat. You could even leap off, pick flowers in the Sorek Valley through which the train ran, and easily return to your car. During World War I, the British, who conquered Palestine in 1917 took over operation of the railroad; in World War II, they commandeered it for the British army. The historic railway from Jaffa to the Holy City of Jerusalem and back stopped running after Israel gained its independence. The line to Jerusalem reopened in 1950, but only from Tel Aviv, and the old Jaffa station was abandoned.This week’s Street Stroll is actually a Site Stroll – a visit to the site of the historic Tel Aviv-Jaffa railroad station. You may already have been there and, like us, found it to be “just” a glorified shopping mall. On our most recent trip, however, tour guide Paule Rakower guided us through Hatahana (The Station), and we discovered how fascinating the site could be! You can do so as well, beginning, as we did, by standing in the parking lot and gazing toward the Charles Clore Gardens on the beach across the road. In early 1831, a group of Egyptian farmers moved north and established a neighborhood called Manshiya on the beach in front of you.Manshiya was beefed up by the Turks in 1892, when they brought in Egyptian laborers to construct the new railroad. Before and during the War of Independence, using their minaret to snipe at the Jews in every direction, the Arabs of Manshiya terrorized the Jewish population. The Irgun, together with the Hagana, took both Manshiya and Jaffa.Afterwards, Manshiya was demolished. Part of one house on the beach remained, however, and was used in the construction of the lovely Irgun Zva’i Leumi Museum before you. After the conquest of Jaffa, the train station complex was closed off by the military. Little by little, the abandoned train station became a storehouse for the Israeli army, which collected so many weapons and vehicles that the Collection Museum (Museon Ha’osef) was opened in the back yard. And so, the railroad station that had been so ceremoniously inaugurated in 1892, and brought thousands upon thousands of travelers to and from Jerusalem for over half a century, slowly became a fenced-in area of crumbling old buildings. Eventually, someone would have built yet another high-rise on the site had not Mayor Ron Huldai happened in for a look in 2004, taken things in hand, and turned a junkyard full of history into a delightful tourist attraction. As you will see when you go inside, Hatahana has even replaced Jaffa as the place for pre-wedding photos! Turning around to walk into the complex, you will see the original station on your right. The most important of all the station’s buildings, it contained a cashier’s counter, station offices and a private waiting room. Go through the contemporary shop to the very end and look for the green ticket window. Then gaze up at the wall of the little café to see a sign.All that’s left are the words “salle d’atten[te] class[e]” – so we can’t be sure which particular “class” of people hung out here, waiting for the train. Be sure to visit the room offering information about the station, and watch a wonderful old movie with historic moments from the early 20th century. Back outside, take a look at the roof. The tiled awning is not part of the original structure, and was added a few years later. Rakower thinks the gable on top with the little wooden window, beautifully restored, was probably the station manager’s office. You may wonder why the station wasn’t built next to the port, the logical spot. Perhaps, says Rakower, workers at the port threatened to strike if travelers arriving by sea could get onto the train without having to drive to the station in one of their carts. Or, she says, the reason may well be the strained relationship between the Turks and the French at the time. During the 1920s, a narrow-gauge railroad took passengers through the streets from port to station and back. To your left as you face the complex, the long building with lots of doors served as the station’s freight terminal. The way the doors were constructed, and the length of the building, made it easy for freight trains to stop alongside and unload directly into the terminal. Soon the freight terminal will become a music center with all kinds of activities and concerts. The log cabin on your far left deteriorated so badly over the decades that only a pile of ruins remained. Once used by the British army for storage, it has been completely and faithfully restored. Climb into the railroad car on your right, or into a second car further into the station. Do they remind you of American trains in movies about the Wild West? These, however, are cars from the original railroad here in Israel. Perhaps the most famous passenger on this train was Theodor Herzl, whose ride between Jaffa and Jerusalem was said to have had a lasting effect on the Land of Israel. Looking out the window, or so they say, he expressed his disappointment with the desolate landscape and wished that someone would plant some trees.Three years later, in 1901, the Jewish National Fund – Keren Kayemet Le’Israel – was founded at the Fifth Zionist Congress in Basel, with Herzl’s blessing. And within a few short decades, forests were already flourishing in the Holy Land! Cross the railroad tracks to reach a wall.Hatahana features not only the old railroad station, but a historic villa, factory, shop and trees, all on the other side. The area beyond the wall was owned by the Wieland family, German Templers from Jerusalem, who moved here soon after the onset of the railroad. This was extremely convenient for the Wielands, who needed a train to move the tiles and bricks they manufactured in their factory to Jerusalem.First they built a fabulous villa, the big white house on your right, dating back to 1902. (The pink portion on one side was probably left from Manshiya.) Almost everything both inside and outside the house was made here in the factory, from the tiled floors and the staircase to the lovely railings leading to the second story. Tiles on the roof were produced in France, while the other buildings were topped only by cement tiles from the factory. Now walk inside what is today a Michal Negrin shop to view the chandelier, painted ceiling, and fireplace. And if you ask the staff, they will pick up some of the jewelry displays on the walls to show you the family photos underneath. Across the plaza stands a light-colored structure with a tiled roof – the family’s factory shop and display area. Being German, the Wielands were expelled from the country by the British as enemy aliens during World War I, and returned only in 1922. Two years later, they built the factory store, consisting of one large showroom. A lovely family garden flourished in the area between the shop and the villa. All the rest of the buildings served as storerooms, and are filled today with designer shops. Browse their wares, or relax on benches and chairs located throughout the complex so you don’t have to feel you need spend money to enjoy the ambiance. Beyond the factory shop was the factory itself, built in 1905 and producing a wide variety of products from roofing tiles to irrigation pipes, balustrades, window frames and balcony posts.
Today, the second story features a variety of exhibits, some free and some requiring a small fee. Then walk around the side to note a water pump imported from the Fatherland.Saunter past the shops – Ahava on your right – and pass between the buildings. You will reach two restaurants, an enormous tree and restrooms. At one time, this was a garden for the enjoyment of the Wieland factory workers. Then, after the British took over the railroad station, they built showers and bathrooms for their soldiers. The restrooms, albeit renovated, remain from those early days, while the shower became a restaurant. All that water may be the reason the huge ficus tree growing here has flourished, right in the middle of it all. During World War II, another generation of Wielands was deported, again as enemy aliens, to Australia. The British appropriated the complex and turned it into a large army supply base. Do you see a long building with several rooms across from the former factory? Originally used by the Wielands for storage, this became an entertainment district for British soldiers featuring nightclubs, canteens and pubs. Take a look for yourself by walking into the Dorit Grey shop. Gaze at the far wall to see a fresco of a “mad” pianist and, on the walls, dancing girls. Paintings like these can be found throughout all the workshops and stores in this storeroom area. They were created by Gerd Rothschild, a German Jew who immigrated with his mother before World War II. After studying applied graphics at the Bezalel School of Art and Design in Jerusalem, Rothschild joined the British army and was given the job of cook. Soon, however, his talent was discovered, and he was made official muralmaker for the army in the entire Middle East. Today this all belongs to the municipality, which was helped in the restoration by a donation from a Wieland grandson. Incredible what preservation can do for a city!Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday. A special thanks to guide Paule Rakower, who can be reached at (03) 546-4917 and krpaule@hotmail.com
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