One of Tel Aviv’s major streets, and certainly it’s most famous, Rothschild Boulevard has it all. It’s the financial center of Israel’s only metropolis, with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and all the head offices and branches of the big banks and brokerage houses. But it’s but also a culinary hotspot, with posh restaurants on either side of the boulevard and in adjacent streets; a café Mecca that has trendy spots in and around the leafy avenue; a nightlife center with nearby Lillinblum offering the city’s largest concentration of quality bars; an architectural and historical relic, with a glorious collection of Bauhaus structures that are in and of themselves pieces of the city’s and the country’s history.
So what makes this place so special? Rothschild Boulevard attracts the young and the beautiful, the rich big spenders, as well as parents with strollers or dog walkers with plastic bags. It’s one of the most expensive streets in TA, thanks to some beautiful structures that have been kept in excellent condition or have been carefully renovated. Municipality rules prohibit making any changes in the exterior of the boulevard’s buildings that form part of the White City recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Site.
The boulevard is named after Baron Edmond de Rothschild, member of the French branch of the famous banking dynasty, renowned for his support and generous donations to the Zionist movement in its early years, which eventually helped lead to the establishment of Israel.
Rothschild Boulevard was one of the first four Tel Aviv streets, and was built on top of sand dunes. It was first named Rehov Ha’Am (literally – the Street of the people), but in 1910 it was changed to Rothschild Boulevard, in honor of Baron de Rothschild. It was designed as a boulevard because the Jewish settlers were unable to drain the small wadi that ran there and were compelled to construct on both sides of the street, leaving the center for pedestrians , thus making it into the city’s first boulevard. It is here that the Independence Hall, the site where the first Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, declared the establishment of the State of Israel, on the 14th of May, 1948.
The boulevard starts in Neve Tsedek on its western end and goes east, intersecting with Herzl and Allenby until it reaches the Habima National Theater. Many of the smaller streets that connect with Rothschild have the same historical-yuppie atmosphere, architectural style and cultural significance. Don’t restrict yourself just to walking up and down Rothschild and don’t be afraid to wander around in search for some gems. They’re are out there, you just have to find them.