The Technion in Haifa

© Goethe-Institut

The Israel Institute of Technology – Technion – is the oldest university in Israel and a trademark of excellence. Furthermore it is considered a German invention. You see, its creation at the time of the Ottoman Empire dates back to a German-Jewish initiative.

© Goethe-Institut

After a trip to the Turkish province in 1907, Dr. Paul Nathan, Managing Director of the “Hilfsverein der deutschen Juden” (German-Jewish Welfare Society) suggested founding a technical college in Haifa. This idea fitted in well with the foreign policy of the German Empire under Wilhelm II, according to which influence in the Near East was to be consolidated. As a result the foundation stone for today’s Technion was laid in 1912. The First World War and other obstacles delayed its completion. Twelve years later the first students finally took their places in the orientally-styled building designed by Berlin architect Alexander Baerwald. (Today it houses the Technical Museum in the district of Hadar).