(Live here with a story about a building) - The Haifa cable car is a tourist cable car that connects the Bat Galim neighborhood and the Stella Maris neighborhood. Bat Galim station is located on the second Aliya street and borders on the Goral Promenade in the north.
Herzl's vision
In Herzl's book "Altneuland" (1902) there is a description of "a large iron carriage flying above the date trees... the carriage was suspended and hovering over a network of a large iron bridge... this is the flying electric railway. Haven't you seen anything like her in Europe!'
Therefore, there is no doubt that the cable car in Haifa is the realization of the vision of the state contract.
Gural's eggs
The cable car was established for tourism purposes, during the tenure of Aryeh Gural as mayor. It includes 6 moving cars 3 in each direction and has been operating since 1986. The project belongs to the economic company of Haifa.
The length of the cable car is 355 m and the height difference between the two stations is 130 m. The cable car stopped operating during the Second Lebanon War and returned to operation about a year and a half after the end of the war.
Due to the spherical shape of the cars, the cable car was nicknamed by the residents of Haifa "Gural's Eggs".
The buildings of the two cable car stations, both in Bat Galim and Stella Maris, were designed by the well-known Haifa architect Amnon Galfman.
The cable car as a transportation solution
As of December 2016, the cable car is also used as a transportation solution and not only as a tourist attraction. The cable car provides a solution for students studying at Gordon College, which is a short walk from Stella Maris station. Since the college cannot provide enough parking solutions for students, an arrangement was reached that allows them to park free of charge in Bat Galim and even take a free cable car ride to Stella Maris and from there, the way to the college is short and very convenient.
In this way, the cable car integrates into the urban transportation system, eases the parking hardship at a site of public importance and improves its accessibility.
Aryeh Goral (1918-2007)
Aryeh Goral was born in Warsaw to an ultra-Orthodox family and studied at a yeshiva. At the age of 14 he came out with a question and left the world of religion, joined the "Hashomer Hatzair" movement and immigrated to Israel in 1935, when he was 17. At the age of 18 (1936) he joined the "Hagana" and fought in the War of Independence. After the war he studied electronic engineering, qualified as an electrical engineer in England and served as director general of the Ministry of Labor (1968-78). Elected mayor in 1978 and served in this position until 1993.
Gural initiated and worked to establish Bat Galim Promenade, the Cable Car, Lui Promenade and Dado Beach. He also worked to establish the neighborhoods of Ramat Almog, Begin, Eshkol, as well as the high-tech industrial park, Mtm.
In 86 he was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government as a token of appreciation for nurturing and strengthening the ties between Haifa and its twin city - the port city of Marseille.
Architect Amnon Gelfman (1933-2009)
Amnon Gelfman, born in Haifa, a trainee at the Harieli School and a graduate of the Technion Faculty of Architecture. Engaged in private practice for about 60 years. He is a pioneer in the design of tiered construction in Haifa and in 1972 he won the Haifa Architecture Award for the design of a tiered residence at 115 Einstein St. Gelfman designed dozens of tiered buildings in the Carmelia neighborhood and other neighborhoods. Apart from that, he planned the two stations of the Haifa cable car and the shopping complex in "Gan Ham".
In addition to being a respected and influential architect, Amnon Gelfman also worked in painting and sculpture. He left behind a collection of dozens of works of art, depicting the landscapes of Haifa and the Galilee.
As mentioned, Gelfman designed the 2 cable car stations, both in Bat Galim and Stella Maris. A visitor to Bat Galim, who today tries to get an impression of the building designed by Gelfman, will have a hard time recognizing it, since the various construction additions manage to hide the original building.
Gural Promenade
In August 2020, near the lower cable car station in Bat Galim, the mayor at the time, Dr. Einat Kalish-Rotem, inaugurated the "Gural Promenade" which begins at the Navy training base and ends in Shekmona, near the Sea and Lakes Research Institute.
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The articles in this section are based on open information published in sources such as Wikipedia and other websites and may include various historical inaccuracies arising from the aforementioned sources.
The neglected shopping complex and the neglected extension above it in Gan Ham are simply a shame and disgrace.
The garden itself is also not well-kept, dirty, and unpleasant to stay in.
The only municipal park in the entire Carmel Ridge, and the municipality neglects the place in a criminal way.
The strip of shops needs to be rebuilt in a compact way with a contemporary design
And not the embarrassing Mats-Gaudi leftovers from the initial design and don't tell us you liked it
the ceramic benches and fountains because there is nothing left of it and it is better to demolish and build a modern, air-conditioned, pleasant shopping complex, with waterfalls to mask the road noise and a safe passage under the road to the Panorama Center as originally planned.
Cable cars lose at the expense of the public
What do you care who loses?
The cable car is privately owned…
The cable car was approved in 81-82 during Goral's first term, which was the most successful. The IBA for him 1800 was approved in just one year. Such actions today take 10 times longer. The city has retreated in all areas.