Kiryat HaMemshala ( he, קריית הממשלה, ''lit.'' Government complex), also known as Kiryat Ben-Gurion, (''lit.''

Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the name ...

complex) is the government precinct of the

State of 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 ...

. It is located in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem.

History

Before 1948, maps of the area drawn by the Survey of Palestine team tagged its southern part as Karm es Sila, the name indicating that it had once been a ''karam'' (vineyard) belonging to a family by the name of Sala (שלה might be originally סלע or سلع), or that the vineyard stood near a stone quarry. The rest of the area belonged to the village of

Sheikh Badr Sheikh Badr ( ar, تلة الشيخ بدر, translit=Talla aš-Šayḫ Badr, lit=Hill of Sheikh Badr ; he, שייח' באדר) was a Palestinian Arab village on a hilltop in west Jerusalem. The Haganah expelled its population during the 1947–1 ...

. In December 1949, soon after the establishment of the state, the Israeli cabinet, then headed by David Ben-Gurion, voted to move most of the country's official government institutions from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Construction work began in 1950. The original plans were drawn up by the architectural firms of Munio Gitai Weinraub and

Al Mansfeld Alfred (Al) Mansfeld ( he, אלפרד (אל) מנספלד ; 2 March 1912 – 15 March 2004) was an Israeli architect. Biography Mansfeld was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1912. While still a child, he moved with his family to Berlin, G ...

, but they were not implemented. The complex was designed by architects Richard Kauffmann,

Joseph Klarwein Ossip (Yosef) Klarwein (6 February 1893 – 9 September 1970) was a Polish-born German-Israeli architect who designed many works in Germany and Israel. Between 1921 and 1933 he was employed with Johann Friedrich Höger, and became chief design ...

and Heinz Rau. As of today, the Knesset is located in Kiryat HaMemshala, as are the

Supreme Court of Israel The Supreme Court (, ''Beit HaMishpat HaElyon''; ar, المحكمة العليا) is the Supreme court, highest court in Israel. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all other courts, and in some cases original jurisdiction. The Supreme C ...

, the Prime Minister's Office, the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Finance, as well as the

Bank of Israel The Bank of Israel ( he, בנק ישראל, ar, بنك إسرائيل) is the central bank of Israel. The bank's headquarters is located in Kiryat HaMemshala in Jerusalem with a branch office in Tel Aviv. The current governor is Amir Yaron. T ...

References

{{coord, 31, 46, 51.3, N, 35, 12, 2.48, E, region:IL, display=title 1950 establishments in Israel Buildings and structures in Jerusalem 20th century in Jerusalem

History

See also

References