German Colony

Beneath the Jerusalem sun lies the German Colony. It’s a neighborhood steeped in history, echoing with the whispers of 19th-century settlers. The German Colony wasn’t always German. Originally, the Valley of Rephaim, where the colony now stands, was home to a legendary race of giants mentioned in the Bible. In 1873, the German Templers, a Christian sect, arrived. They sought to prepare for Messianic salvation by settling in the Holy Land. They purchased land and built their homes in the German farmhouse style. These homes lined two parallel streets, which would later become Emek Refaim and Bethlehem Road. The Templers brought their trades, like carpentry and blacksmithing. One Templer, Friedrich Kübler, became a prominent butcher, supplying meat to hotels and hospitals across Jerusalem. His house, with its water trough still in the yard, later became the home of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The Templers’ time in the German Colony was cut short during World War II. Their support for the Nazi regime led to their deportation by the British. Affluent Christian Arab families moved in, drawn by the area’s prime location. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War saw many of these families flee. Their abandoned homes became shelters for new immigrants. In the late 20th century, the German Colony was reborn. Gentrification brought trendy shops, restaurants, and cafes to Emek Refaim Street. The German Colony today thrives as an upscale neighborhood, its streets echoing with the footsteps of Templers, Christian Arabs, and now, a diverse community of residents and visitors. The architecture reflects this vibrant history. Swabian-style homes stand beside Ottoman and British Art Deco buildings. Look closely, and you might find biblical inscriptions in German on the lintels of the old Templer homes. The German Colony is more than just a pretty neighborhood. It is a living testament to Jerusalem’s complex and ever-evolving history.