Independence Park is a park in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

located along the coast near the

Hilton Tel Aviv Hilton Tel Aviv belongs to the international hotel chain Hilton. It was refurbished and now is a standard higher than the average Hilton hotel. Location The hotel is located in the Independence Park, with direct access to the Hilton Public Beach ...

hotel.

History

Independence Park is at the western end of Hayarkon Street in the Old North of Tel Aviv. The first trees were planted on Israel's first Independence Day in 1949. The official opening was in 1952. In 2009, the park was renovated as part of Tel Aviv's centennial anniversary celebrations. The site on which the park now stands was formerly a limestone hill. During the British Mandate, part of the area was used as a military base. The Etzel ship

Altalena The ''Altalena'' Affair was a violent confrontation that took place in June 1948 by the newly created Israel Defense Forces against the Irgun (also known as IZL), one of the Jewish paramilitary groups that were in the process of merging to form ...

was fired upon from this location. A Hasmonean citadel were discovered in the southern portion of the park. The park was once known as a meeting place for cruising and homosexual encounters. The park was designed by landscape architect Zvi Dekel.

Landmarks

Among the sculptures in the park are two bronze statues of King Asa of Judah and King Yehoshafat of Israel overlooking the sea. A tall monument resembling a bird with a broken wing commemorates Independence War pilots David Sprinzak and Mati Sukenik.At Tel Aviv Port, once the gateway into the Land of Israel
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References

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