Carmel Center

Merkaz HaCarmel (Hebrew: מרכז הכרמל‎‎) also called Carmel Merkazi (Hebrew: כרמל מרכזי‎‎) or in English, Carmel Center, is a neighborhood, and cultural and recreation area on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.

Until the mid-19th century Mount Carmel was largely uninhabited, except for temporary accommodation of shepherds and hermits, because it was far from the coast – and the walled Old Haifa. Ownership of the land was divided between the state, the Carmelite Order, and residents of the Arab village of Al Tira (which is today the city of Tirat Carmel). The mountain became famous for its uneven road, known as the "High Road" (as opposed to the "Lower Road" now called "Derekh Hahagana").

During the 19th century the Carmelite Order acquired estates in Stella Maris and Wadi Siach. The German Templer settlement on Mount Carmel at the end of the 19th century marked the beginning of the development of the area. The purchase of land in the area by the ILD just after the First World War, led to the development of the area as a Jewish neighborhood surrounded by gardens, as it remains today.

Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Merkaz HaCarmel neighborhood has become a prestigious residential area, with shopping centers and local businesses including many European-style cafes, and several hotels and museums. Haifa Zoo was established in the early 1950s, near to the Gan HaEm garden. The station Gan HaEm is the upper terminus of the Carmelit funicular subway system. The Carmelit was built in the late 1950s and runs down Mount Carmel from Merkaz HaCarmel to Paris Square in downtown Haifa.

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Wikipedia