Herzliya
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| Hebrew | הֶרְצְלִיָּה | |
| (Standard) | Herzliyyāh | |
| Arabic | هرتسليا | |
| Name Meaning | named after Theodor Herzl | |
| Founded in | 1924 | |
| Government | City | |
| Also Spelled | Herzliyya (officially) | |
| District | Tel Aviv | |
| Population | 83,600 (2004) | |
| Jurisdiction | 26,000 dunams (26 km²) | |
| Mayor | Yael German | |
Herzliya (in Hebrew: הֶרְצְלִיָּה, without Niqqud: הרצלייה, commonly pronounced in Hebrew as Hertseliya) is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, just north of Tel Aviv (about a 20 minutes drive) and south of Netanya, and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area in the Tel Aviv District.
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[edit] History
The city of Herzliya is named after Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism. Herzliya was founded in 1924 by seven pioneering families and today its population numbers nearly 85,000. Its jurisdiction is 26,000 dunams (26 km²).
Herzliya officially became a city in 1960 and its flag features seven stars (saluting Herzl's idea of the seven-hour working day), a small boat, two packs of wheat and a boat's steering wheel.
Fittingly, Herzliya is home to a large marina, built during the 1990s, as well as a small airport (code: LLHZ), an old shopping district in Sokolov street (now in renovation-aka "The New Center of Herzliya) and two malls (Arena Mall and Shiv'at HaKokhavim Mall), movie theaters, museums, cultural centers, and an olympic stadium and target range. Herzliya also has professional basketball and soccer teams and is home to Israel's largest film studios, Ulpanei Herzliya (Herzliya's Studios) which are the studios of Reshet and the Children's Channel (the most popular channel for kids in Israel).
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In addition to the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, there are a number of public and private schools in the city, including the science high school Ale.
On the town's northern coast, a national park features the ruins of Apollonia (Arsuf), which was a town of some seventeen centuries' standing when it was destroyed during the expulsion of the Crusaders.
[edit] Herzliya Pitu'ah
Western Herzliya, also called Herzliya-Pitu'ah, is located on the Mediterranean coast and contains a stretch of popular beachfront hotels, high-tech business area, busy restaurants and an exclusive residential area housing the residence of the United States ambassador and many of Israel's crème de la crème. Herzliya is one of the main tourist locations in Israel and its many hotels, including the Dan Accadia, Daniel, Sharon, and Okeanoa hotels have over 650 rooms along the coast, with another 750 planned as part of the marina project.
The marina, built during the 1990s by mayor Eli Landau, is located to the south of the Accadia Hotel, and covers an area of 500 dunams (0.5 km²). The complex includes a the Arena shopping complex, marina-side dining, and entertainment and sports fields, as well as high-priced housing. Building of the marina has not been without controversy, as many have argued that it has damaged the beach, blocking sand that moves from the south and thereby narrowing the beaches to the north.
Perched on a ledge 100m north of the entrance to Nof Yam Beach is an inhabited sandcastle known as Hermit House. It's owner and creator is Nissim Cachlon who has been building the structure since 1978 with natural sea materials as well as tires, bottles, broken plates, and other debris washed ashore. Peevish Israeli authorities have so far been unable to oust him. Hermit House is a spetacular though unconventional example of vernacular architecture.
[edit] City mayors
- Avraham Hirsch, 1937-1938
- Shimon Ze'ev Levin, 1938-1943
- Ben Zion Mikhaeli, 1943-1960
- Pesah Yifher, 1960-1966
- Interim council led by Natan Rozental, 1966-1967
- Yosef Navo, 1969-1983
- Eli Landau, 1983-1998 (Likud)
- Yael German, 1998-present (Meretz)
[edit] Sports
Herzliya is home to two professional football (soccer) clubs, Maccabi Herzliya and Hapoel Herzliya. For many years the two clubs languished together in Israel's lower divisions. Today, Maccabi Herzliya plays in Israel's Ligat ha'Al (Premier League). Both clubs use the Municipal Stadium.
[edit] Sister Cities
Herzliya has many sister cities including:
Alicante, Spain
Banska Bystrica, Slovakia
Bursa, Turkey
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine- Hollywood, Florida, USA
Marl, Germany- San Bernardino, California, United States
Toulon, France
San Isidro, Argentina
[edit] See also
- Yael German the mayor of Herzliya.
[edit] External links
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| Cities | Bat Yam · Bnei Brak · Giv'atayim · Herzliya · Holon · Kiryat Ono Or Yehuda · Ramat Gan · Ramat HaSharon · Tel Aviv-Jaffa |
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| Local councils | Azor · Kfar Shmaryahu | |
| Regional councils | Ef'al | |
