Extending a Shared Legacy: Renewing International Support for Liebling Haus and Tel Aviv’s White City

This week, The Tel Aviv Foundation took part in signing an agreement between the Tel Aviv Municipality, the Tel Aviv Foundation, and the German government’s Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building to extend support for Liebling Haus – The White City Center (Beit Liebling) for another 10 years.

Beit Liebling’s historic Bauhaus building in the heart of the city serves as a cultural, research, and educational hub dedicated to Tel Aviv–Yafo’s architectural heritage and the preservation of the White City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The White City areas of Tel Aviv represent a significant chapter in German–Israeli history and comprise the world’s largest collection of Bauhaus architectural buildings. Opened in 2019, the Haus functions as a platform for public and international activities, including exhibitions, tours, lectures, and programs focused on architecture, heritage conservation, urbanism, and culture.

The agreement, which includes an annual contribution over a ten-year period, was signed at the Mayor’s Office in Rabin Square and marks the continuation of a meaningful international partnership. It reflects the deep historical and cultural ties between the German Bauhaus movement and Tel Aviv’s modernist identity on the global stage.

Currently, an exhibition at Liebling Haus marks 100 years since Patrick Geddes’ master plan for Tel Aviv, exploring his vision of the city as a living, interconnected garden city. Geddes, a renowned Scottish planner, sociologist, and botanist, was appointed by Tel Aviv’s Mayor Meir Dizengoff in the 1920s.

At the signing ceremony, representatives of the Tel Aviv Foundation joined Deputy Mayor and Acting Mayor of Tel Aviv–Yafo Assaf Zamir, alongside colleagues and distinguished partners from Germany and Israel. Participants included Sören Bartol, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building; Helena Merks, Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Israel; Giyora Yahalom, Director of Culture and Arts at the Municipality of Tel Aviv–Yafo; Architect Udi Carmeli, Head of the City Engineering Administration; Shira Levy Benyemini, CEO and Artistic Director of Liebling Haus; Lior Meyer, Vice President of the Tel Aviv Foundation; and Dorit Kreiner, CFO of the Tel Aviv Foundation.

The Tel Aviv Foundation expresses deep gratitude to all partners for their collaboration and for celebrating this unique and enduring partnership.