From Salzburg to Motzkin

The Main Entrance to Kiryat Motzkin

This research was submitted as part of M.A. studies in Architecture, Tel Aviv University, September 2021
Advisor: Prof. Tali Hatuka

From time to time when I take Route 4 out of the cluster of towns outside Haifa known as “the Krayot,” I am struck by the sudden appearance, with no forewarning, of a low stone wall with a backdrop of palm trees. In the middle of an endless row of look-alike buildings, the wall and its metal inscription protrude, declaring the entrance to “Kiryat Motzkin.” An inscription below, in smaller letters, reads “Mozart Junction”; a silhouette of the famous composer’s head appears off to the right; and a bar of musical notes crowns the wall like a tiara. My curiosity was aroused: What is the connection between this anonymous town and Salzburg?        

This research addresses the following question: How does the ordering of space at the entrance to Kiryat Motzkin reflect cultural trends in Israeli society? The goal of the research is a twofold general survey of changes in the area from the late 1940s to the present day. On the one hand, it examines how actions of different bodies and individuals, interests and events, have influenced the design of public space over the years; on the other hand, it looks at the way such actions reflect the above-mentioned trends in Israeli society. The motivation of the research was to direct attention to the power accrued by these actions, whether of individuals, authorities or other bodies, in exerting a dramatic influence on the configuration of public areas, and hence on those who utilize them. The method was an examination of the local urban dynamic, the space in which those actions take place.

The motivation of the research was to direct attention to the power accrued by these actions, whether of individuals, authorities or other bodies, in exerting a dramatic influence on the configuration of public areas, and hence on those who utilize them

The methodology of this study is interpretive-quantitative, using causal-layered analysis (CLA) and based on four layers of factors to assess motivation for change: physical space, social factors, world views and myths. The research itself is based on observations in the field, study of the area, semiotic analysis, in-depth interviews and questionnaires, information extracted from local archives, the local planning committee and engineering authority, and plans scanned from the establishment of the state and from the local press.

The processes and phenomena that find expression in the public space at the entrance to Kiryat Motzkin, a suburb of Haifa on the Israeli periphery, can perhaps be seen as a model in miniature of processes and phenomena that have taken and are taking place in Israel as a whole. Some of the phenomena may be identified as part of global, industrial, economic and technological trends, while others are connected to regional, political and cultural trends. The combination of all the variables of the various forces – global, national, local and personal – and the reciprocal relationships among them, create the urban dynamic that structures the space, and the space in its turn reflects for us the society in the heart of which it lies.

The combination of all the variables of the various forces – global, national, local and personal – and the reciprocal relationships among them, create the urban dynamic that structures the space, and the space in its turn reflects for us the society in the heart of which it lies