Sites in the Park

 

 

 

 

 

Development program for the Be’er Sheva River Park

The park’s development plan is based on the master plan for the Be’er Sheva River Park that was approved in 2002. The plan divides the park into several development areas. The eastern part (to the east of Route 40) is an extensive development area around Tel Be’er Sheva National Park, which has been declared a world heritage site.
 
 Tha "heart" of the park is between Route 40 to the west and the Ottoman bridge to the east. This area contains the park’s main attractions, the lake area, theater, Sportek and Beit Eshel. From the Ottoman Bridge to the Neve Zev neighborhood to the west (the Eighth Brigade Bridge) is the course of the river and the promenades extend along both banks right through the park. The western side of the park is the special antiquities area, where an archeological park is planned.

(The plan that has been submitted is a draft. Design: Marash Architects Ltd., Tichnun Nof Ltd.)

 

 

 

 

Montreal Bell Park

The Montreal Bell Park was the first park opened to the public within the Be’er Sheva River Park in 2005. It extends over 40 dunams (10 acres), close to the Neve Noi neighborhood. For many years the area had been a eucalyptus grove, below which were piles of abandoned waste. Prior to the restoration of the river, the site was part of the river’s flood area and would be inundated at the time of major floods. In 2004 the partners to the development of the Be’er Sheva River Park came together, and through the generosity of the donors from JNF Canada, restoration work and development of the park for use by the general public started.

(Design: Architect Arieh Rachmimov, Architect Liora Miron, Landscape Designer Amir Muller)
 

 

 

The central promenade

The central promenade is a long stretch covering 250 dunams (62 acres) and 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) in length on the southern bank of the Be’er Sheva River. This promenade links the Ottoman bridge on the west and Route 40 on the east. This is the first project to have been undertaken in this area, which until 2002 had had been relegated to being the “backyard” of Be’er Sheva. It had previously served as a quarry, where a great deal of construction waste was dumped.
 
 The site has undergone extensive environmental rehabilitation, and is slowly being transformed into a park. Construction of the promenade started in December 2007, and it is expected to open to the public in June 2009. This is the largest project currently being undertaken in the Be’er Sheva River Park. Development of the central promenade has been made possible by the help of the partners to the management of the Be’er Sheva River Park and the generosity of donors to JNF USA. (Design: Yaron-Ari Landscape Designers Ltd.)

 

 

 
         

 

The Ottoman Bridge

The Ottoman bridge is one of the most important monuments in Beer Sheva and the Negev. This ancient bridge is a survivor of the Turkish railway line that cut across the entire length of the Land of Israel. From the city of Shechem (Nablus) to Ismailia on the banks of the Suez Canal (it in fact reached Kusseima in Sinai). The railway was designed to transport troops, supplies and ammunition to the front developing against the British in Sinai in World War 1. The railway reached Be’er Sheva in October 1915.

Because of its tendency to flood, the Be’er Sheva River represented a barrier that required special engineering planning. That is why the bridge was built at the widest point, 190 meters (623 feet), where the water flow was the least strong. German railway engineer, Heinrich Meissner Pasha, was in charge of building the bridge. Jewish contractors and workers built the bridge of stone. The section of track from Be’er Sheva to Kusseima was in service until 1920 and was dismantled in 1925. In 1941 a tender was issued to dismantle the bridge in order to reuse the stones. In time, a narrow road was paved over the bridge. Traffic stopped there in 1962. In the winter of 1964, one arch collapsed in a flood. In the gap that was created a metal bridge was built, which was removed at a later date. Since that time, the bridge has not been used for transportation purposes (Renovation Program for Ottoman Bridge, Yaakov Golan, JNF- kkl, 2005).
 

As part of the development of the park promenade, the bridge will be brought back into use for pedestrians and bicyclists, and will be a central feature of the park, connecting the river bank from the Bedouin market in the north to the central promenade in the south. The Steering Committee includes the partners to the management of the Be’er Sheva River Park, and the Council for the Preservation of Sites.

(Design: Engineer Yaakov Shefer, Architect Adi Kitov

 

 

 

 

Beit Eshel Park

Beit Eshel, one of three hilltop settlements established in the Negev in 1943 – Beit Eshel, Gevulot and Revivim . During the War of Independence, the settlement was shelled by the Egyptian army and abandoned after heavy fighting . This site is a major landmark in the story of the settlement of the banks of the Be’er Sheva River . On the site are the remains of buildings and trenches, which testify to the tough battle that took place there.

Through the generosity of the donors from JNF Canada and JNF Germany , in 2008, the courtyard of Beit Eshel was reconstructed . And in 2009 a park is being built around the courtyard, which will recount the story of the site both as an agricultural farm and settlement that bravely withstood the battles of the War of Independence . The Beit Eshel site is intended in the future to be the main entrance to the Be’er Sheva River Park

. Design: Landscape Designer Amir Miller, Architect Zvika Pasternak

 

1944
  December 2008
April 2009
 

Lake area
  The lake area of the Be’er Sheva River Park is the very heart of the park. It is the largest single area, measuring 700 dunams (173 acres).  This area will be home to the main recreational activities for the residents of Be’er Sheva and the entire region. In its center is an 80 dunam (20 acre) lake, and around are planned a large number of leisure and recreational sites, such as restaurants, cafes, galleries and boat rentals.
 
 A pedestrian and bicycle path is planned around the lake, which will connect the activity areas with the rest areas, where people will be able to side at the side of the lake and watch the birds, which in the past used to land there during their migration over Israel. The lake area will be filled with wooded areas and picnic spots. The water for the lake, as well as throughout the Be’er Sheva River Park is recycled from the Be’er Sheva municipal water purification plant.  (Design: Yaron-Ari Landscape Designers Ltd.)
 

  

The Pipe Bridge

Between the Neve Noi neighborhood to the south and the old city to the north, a bridge of drinking water pipes of the Mekorot water company crosses the Be’er Sheva River. The master plan for the Be’er Sheva River Park identified this bridge as an opportunity to link the old city and the park, while also creating a point of interest in the appearance of the channel of the Be’er Sheva River.
 
 In 2008 the management of the Be’er Sheva River Park and Mekorot launched an architectural competition to design a pedestrian bridge over the existing water pipes bridge. The park management intends to issue a tender for construction of the bridge towards the end of 2009.
 
    

Theater area.

The theater area is now in the advanced stages of planning. In a space of approximately 250 dunams (62 acres). This area will be home to the biggest open-air theater with about 12,000 seats, recreation and sports areas, playground facilities and more.
  Design:Giden Sarig Landscape Designers Ltd.