Travel Guide Zichron Ya’acov

Founded in 1882 by Jews from Romania, Zichron Ya'acov was one of the first Zionist settlements in Palestine. Thanks to donations from Baron Edmond de Rothschild, vine cultivation began in the 19th century. During the British Mandate period (1917-1948), the moshav (farming community) also became a popular holiday resort. The place has lost none of its charm and is now home to Israel's largest wine cooperative, Carmel Winery, whose wines are exported all over the world. A center on the estate is open to visitors, to discover the region's wine-making history.In town, Ha-Meyasdim is a pedestrian street where restored 19th-century houses house craft stores and several restaurants. Two houses have been converted into museums: Beit Aharonson, dedicated to the history of NILI (the initials of Netzah Israel Lo Yeshaker), a network of resistance and spies against the Turkish occupiers created during the First World War, of which the moshav was the headquarters, and the Museum of the First Aliya. To the south are the Ramat Ha-Nadiv Gardens, a botanical garden, nature reserve and memorial to Baron Edmond de Rothschild and his wife Adelaide.