Israel is a repository for some of the coolest architecture in the world, and we’re not just talking about Tel Aviv’s renowned White City, although it’s definitely a highlight of any trip to Israel. This UNESCO World Heritage site, in fact, is home to the world’s largest collection of Bauhaus or International Style buildings, which were built in the 1930’s by German Jewish architects. Visitors to Tel Aviv can stroll over to the Bauhaus Center, which organizes regular architectural tours of the city.
And the country’s architectural innovation continues to this day. Design buffs will be dazzled by some of the newest museums to call Israel home. There’s the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, whose Herta and Paul Amir Building opened in the fall of 2011 and which won Travel + Leisure’s Design Award for “best museum.” The building’s focal point is a spiraling atrium known as “Lightfall,” housing rectangular galleries that let in the natural light. Design Museum Holon, meanwhile, opened in 2010 and features swirls of red, brown and orange steel and is part of Holon’s ongoing process of transforming the city into an epicenter of culture and education. Also in Holon, families should make their way to the uniquely designed Children’s Museum, where museum-goers can touch, interact and become part of the exhibits.
The atrium at Jerusalem’s Israel Museum—which is itself a magnificent structure—features eye-catching sculptures such as Claes Oldenburg’s Apple Core and Anish Kapoor’s hourglass-shaped Turning the World Upside Down, Jerusalem.
