Sarona Templer Colony

Sarona is a former German Templer colony on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, founded in 1871 by members of the Templer Society, a Protestant millenarian movement from Württemberg in southwestern Germany. The settlers established farms, vineyards, a winery and orange groves on the sandy plain north of Jaffa, introducing modern agricultural methods and building solid stone and tile-roofed houses in a European style. Sarona grew into a prosperous village with a main street, a community hall and a cemetery, and it was one of several Templer colonies in the Holy Land, alongside those in Haifa and Jerusalem. During the Second World War the British authorities interned the German settlers and later deported them, and after 1948 the site was taken over by the Israeli state and used for government and military purposes, becoming part of the Kirya compound. Many of the old houses were neglected for decades and some were threatened with demolition. In the early 2000s the city of Tel Aviv began a conservation project in which about 30 historic buildings were restored, and some were moved on rails to new positions to make way for roads and a park. The restored district opened to the public in the 2010s as a pedestrian area with a large green park, shops, restaurants and a food market, set between modern glass towers. The houses show the Templer style: steep tiled roofs, dated lintels, symmetrical facades and inscriptions in German, often with Biblical quotations. Information panels and a small exhibit explain the history of the colony, so the curatorial approach is an open-air museum within a commercial district. The restored buildings are in good condition, though many are now used as cafes or offices, so only a few offer interior displays. The area is easy to reach and combines well with nearby Rothschild Boulevard or the Azrieli towers.