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One of the things I have always loved about Tel Aviv is the architecture. When I first moved to Tel Aviv in 1992, I would walk around the city looking at all the wonderful buildings the city has to offer. It was only later I discovered that what I had really been looking at, and falling in love with, were buildings built in the International or Bauhaus style.

Tel Aviv has over 4000 buildings of this style making it the city with the largest number of Bauhaus buildings anywhere in the world, a fact which led UNESCO to declare Tel Aviv a “World Heritage Site” on 6th June 2004.Love them or hate them, there is no getting away from them. They are what make this wonderful city of ours a very special place to be.

Below are 5 of my favourite Bauhaus buildings, in no particular order.

17 Emile Zola
This building was successfully renovated in 1995 keeping all aspects of the original design. I particularly like the rounded balconies which have a recess for plants and flower pots giving the building that “hanging gardens” look. This building also has a roof garden, a must if you live in the city where outside space is at a premium.

65 Hovevei Zion
I like this one because it was my first love! I used to live on Trumpeldor so this was my “local” Bauhaus building. Again it has those wonderful rounded balconies and the fact that the building is a very pale shade of green makes it a little bit different, which is almost always a good thing.

1 Zamenhof
This building used to be a cinema and is now a hotel, having been renovated in 2001. I have a very sentimental connection to this building as we stayed here in January last year when my brother in law got married to Nonet. It’s well worth a visit, just go into the foyer and have a look at the magnificent stairwell. Climb the stairs, go to the top, look down, stop on each floor and look up and down and be amazed by the attention to detail and the simplicity.

56 Mazeh Street
Oh my goodness!!!!!! This has to be my all time favorite building. This for me is pure Bauhaus, this is the way Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus movement, would have done it. I could easily take a day off work, sit on the pavement and just soak up the enormity of this building.

2 Strauss Street (Balfour Primary School)
Could you imagine going to school in this building. How fantastic would that have been! Not sure those primary school children would really appreciate the surroundings but the mums and dads might.

I could go on and on and on but I said I’d do 5 so 5 it is. If you have a favorite and it’s not on the list then let me know. If you’re visiting Tel Aviv or if you’re a Tel Avivian who wants to know more then check out www.white-city.co.il . These guys do FREE guided tours in English every Saturday!