Zichron Yaakov – Visitors Guide (Map, Attractions, and More)
Zichron Yaakov is a town on Carmel Mountain in Haifa District. It was founded in 1882 with the help of Baron Edmond James de Rothschild.
Map
Zichron Yaakov is located on the Carmel mountain range about 35 km south of Haifa and 15 km from Caesarea.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
And here is a photo of a sign on HaMeyasdim Street.
Note: you can click on the map to enlarge it.
But most people are not interested in a map of the whole city, but rather a specific area: HaMeyasdim Street and the pedestrian mall. Thus here is the map of the historical area:
Directions
On our latest visit, we parked near Ha-Meyasdim Street 8. Hence, you can enter that address into Waze.
If you use public transport, you can take different buses. Here is already a preset link to Moovit. Just enter your starting point, and you will get the updated directions.
Parking
There are many parking lots, and you can see them on the maps above. During our most recent visit, we parked at the free parking lot by Ha-Meyasdim Street 8.
What does Zichron Yaakov mean?
Zichron Yaakov means in memory of Yaakov. James Mayer de Rothschild (James derived from Jacob, Yaakov) was Baron Edmond James de Rothschild’s father, and the city is named in his honor.
HaMeyasdim Street
We will start our tour near the water tower and Zamarin Hotel at Ha-Meyasdim Street 16. There you can find the Yishai Shibovski gate. Also, you can find the signs with maps at the top of the post.
On this street, you can find the houses of the founders. Here is, for example, Beit Bonstein.
As you can see, there are explanation signs near the houses.
Chaim Bar Schwartz was one of the founding fathers of Zichron Yaakov. He was a deeply religious man who fulfilled the Biblical precept of making the foot pilgrimage to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Hence, he was called the Foot Pilgrim, and this was his house:
Our latest visit to Zichron Yaakov was in December 2020, and it was rainy. And since it is a short urban walk, you can visit Zichron Yaakov all year round. But try to avoid rainy and sweltering days.
Wineries
After a short walk along HaMeyasdim Street, we reached Smadar Hotel and Winery. Thus let’s talk about wineries.
Under the supervision of Edmond de Rothschild’s administrators, farm colonies and vineyards were established. Two major wineries were opened – one in Rishon LeTsiyon and another in Zichron Yaakov.
In 1885 Carmel-Mizrahi winery was opened in Zichron Yaakov. It is still active, and you can purchase products or join a tour at The Wine & Culture Center of the Carmel Winery. For additional info, see the official site.
Carmel Winery is not the only winery in Zichron Yaakov. There are also Tishbi Winery, Somek Winery, Poizner Winery, and Smadar Winery.
Pedestrian Mall
As you can see in the photo above, at some point, HaMeyasdim Street (also called Wine Route) is closed to vehicles. This section is also called the pedestrian mall.
You can find restaurants, stores, historical sites, museums, and more at the pedestrian mall.
The Wine Route is Zichron Yaakov’s famous pedestrian street Ha-Meyasdim St. In this century-old street that has been preserved, there are many charming spots, boutique stores, artist galleries, coffee shops, and restaurants. The houses that face the street were once home to the founding families, the first settlers. Each of the quaint courtyards behind the houses was once a farmyard with chickens running about. The farmers’ courtyards, which branch off the main street, offer many pleasant surprises.
On the right side of the photo above, you can see the billboard of Beit Aaronsohn – Nili Museum.
Beit Aaronsohn – Nili Museum
Nili stands for “Netzach Israel Lo Yishaker” – The Eternity of Israel will not deceive (Samuel I, 15:29). This phrase expresses the eternity of the people of Israel and, in some contexts, the eternity of the tradition of Israel.
The underground Nili network was established in 1915 and operated in Eretz Israel during WWI. Its objectives were:
To assist the British effort to conquer Eretz Israel by gathering information.
To support the Jewish Yishuv in Eretz Israel in a time of famine and disease.
To draw world attention to what was happening in Eretz Israel.
To fulfill the dream of establishing a Jewish State in Eretz Israel.
Nili was founded and led by agronomist Aaron Aaronsohn from Zikhron Ya’akov, joined by his sister Sarah and brother Alexander, as well as Avshalom Feinberg from Hadera, brothers Na’aman and Eitan Belkind from Rishon LeZion, Yosef Lishansky from Metula and dozens of others.
The organization operated from Athlit, where Aaron’s Agricultural Experiment Station was located. British forces regularly sailed between Egypt and Athlit – the British warship Managam frequently came ashore at Athlit to collect the information gathered by Nili members. Information was also passed on via homing pigeons.
In the spring of 1917, rumors about the espionage organization circulated the Yishuv. Several events led to the exposure of the organization in September 1917: a British coin was found in the market in Ramleh, a homing pigeon failed to complete its mission and landed in the governor’s yard in Caesarea, and Na’aman Belkind was arrested by Turkish authorities.
Following these events, the Turks began a campaign of threats and terror against the Jewish Yishuv to apprehend Nili members. Many were, in fact, caught and tortured. Sarah Aaronsohn committed suicide after undergoing severe torture. Na’aman Belkind and Yosef Lishansky were executed in Damascus.
The bravery and heroism of the men and women of Nili helped the British enter Eretz Israel and end the Ottoman rule.
Source: Beit Aaronsohn – Nili Museum
Since we visited Zichron Yaakov between lockdowns, the museum was closed. Thus we will continue walking on the pedestrian mall.