The Old German Consulate building is a historic building, built as the Consulate of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

in the Templar neighborhood of "Walhalla" in

Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...

, nowadays part of

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

. Its construction began in 1913, next to Nablus Road (today, Eilat street 59 in

). The professionals who designed the building and its surroundings were the architect Karl Appel (from Germany) and the local Templer Johann Martin Wennagel, and the garden designer was Johannes Laemmle. The construction was done in cooperation with the head of the

German Templer colonies in Palestine The German Templer colonies in Palestine were the settlements established in Ottoman Palestine and Mandatory Palestine by the German Templers (Pietist sect), Pietist Templer movement in the late 19th and early 20th century. During and shortly after ...

. The ending of the construction was delayed due to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, which broke out in the middle of 1914. As such, the building was inaugurated only in 1916, by the German consul Walter Rößler (Rössler; 1871–1929). The Consulate building and the well-tended garden around it served as a social center for the members of the

. With the occupation of Jaffa by the British in World War I, the building was temporarily used as the central canteen and as an occasional residence for British soldiers. Afterwards, it resumed its function as the Consulate of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. According to local Jewish reports, non-Jewish members of local German community used to proudly wave the flags of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

with the

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

starting from 1937 until the outbreak of World War II, on the building and the adjacent Wagner factory. The German consulate was closed in the early 1940s and non-Jewish German residents were deported to Australia, as they were subjects of an enemy country. After the establishment of the

State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, the building became a property of the Israeli government.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Tel Aviv Government buildings completed in 1916 Diplomatic buildings