Emek Refaim Street is the heart of Jerusalem’s German Colony the city’s most fashionable neighborhood, just a few minutes from the heart of downtown modern and ancient Jerusalem.
The street represents a segment of Jerusalem culture and society – modern in nature within an ultimately historic and religious city, and is lined with restaurants, cafes, and boutique stores within the German Templar style buildings characterizing the area. A unique neighborhood in a unique city.
The German Colony, HaMoshava HaGermanit in Hebrew, was established in the second half of the 19th century by members of the German Temple Society. One of many colonies across the land of Israel, the Jerusalem neighborhood is characterized by mansions built in Ottoman, Bauhaus, and Templar styles and now often divided into expensive apartments.
Emek Refaim Street is probably the trendiest street in the whole of Jerusalem – an oasis of modern and almost Tel Aviv-esque culture among conservative Jerusalem. The street is lined with fashionable boutiques and cafes, and there is even a cinema in the back in one of the restaurants just off the street. The street regularly closes to traffic and hosts events, ranging from book fairs to markets.
The neighborhood and Emek Refaim are a great place to visit, to stroll through the streets, to stop in the cafes and have a coffee, and experience life here.
