Hatachana

Wednesday we visited the recently reopened Jaffa Railway Station between Tel Aviv and Jaffa. The original Jaffa Railway Station was built in 1892 under the Turks by a consortium of Jewish businessmen. It was built in European style and at that time it was the first advanced travel means introduced into the Holy Land. It moved people and freight inland to Jerusalem, Cairo and Damascus.

In the Israeli War of Independence of 1948 it was right in the center of the no-man's land between Jewish forces in Tel Aviv and Arab forces in Jaffa. After heavy fighting the Jews captured Jaffa, but after 1948 the Station remained in ruins, and was used as an IDF base. Part of the area is now the Museum of IDF History. A few months ago, after years of renovation, the Station (Hatachana) was reopened to the public.

It consists not only of the Station building, but close to it is the Wieland House, consisting of a two storey building erected in 1905-6. This was the home of the Templar Hugo Wieland and his family, who moved from Germany to live in the Holy Land in 1900. He also built a small factory on the site that made various industrial products that were shipped thru the railway to other parts of the Turkish Empire. After the British conquered the area from the Turks in 1918, the Germans who lived there were interned as enemy aliens and were sent back to Germany. All these buildings have been preserved by the Tel Aviv Municipality and are now a great tourist attraction, having many nice boutiques, galleries and restaurants. It is easy to get to, since it is right by sea on the main road between Tel Aviv and Jaffa (Rehov Kaufman) and has a large parking lot (see www.hatachana.co.il).