King David Hotel

King David Hotel

Infobox hotel
hotel_name = King David Hotel
מלון המלך דוד



image_width =250px
caption =King David Hotel at night
location =Jerusalem, Israel
coordinates =
opening_date =1931
closing_date =
developer =Frank Goldsmith
architect =
operator =Dan Hotels
owner =Dan Hotels
number_of_restaurants =4
number_of_rooms =237
number_of_suites =
floor_area =
floors =
parking =
website = [http://www.danhotels.com/Luxury-Hotel-Jerusalem]
footnotes =

The King David Hotel ( _he. מלון המלך דוד) is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem, Israel. The hotel was built with locally quarried pink limestone and opened in 1931. It was founded by Frank Goldsmith, father of the billionaire investor, Sir James Goldsmith. The King David Hotel is now a Jerusalem landmark and one of Israel's most famous hotels. It is owned and operated by the Dan Hotels group.

History

In 1929, "Palestine Hotels Ltd." purchased convert|4.5|acre|m2 on Jerusalem's Julian’s Way, today King David Street. Half the construction costs were paid by Albert Mosseri, an affluent Egyptian Jewish banker and director of the National Bank of Egypt, and another 46% by other wealthy Cairo Jews. The approximately 4% remaining was paid by the National Bank, which purchased 693 shares of the company between 1934 and 1943. [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1182951030243&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Egyptian bank sues Israel for dividends | Jerusalem Post ] ]

From its earliest days, the King David Hotel hosted royalty: the dowager empress of Persia, queen mother Nazli of Egypt and King Abdullah I of Jordan stayed at the hotel, and three heads of state forced to flee their countries took up residence there: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, forced to abdicate in 1931, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, driven out by the Italians in 1936, and King George II of Greece who set up his government in exile at the hotel after the Nazi occupation of his country in 1942.During the British Mandate, the southern wing of the hotel was turned into a British administrative and military headquarters. In July 1946 it was blown up by the Irgun, the pre-state underground led by Menachem Begin. A warning call by the Irgun to the hotel switchboard was made 15 minutes before the bomb went off (see King David Hotel Bombing).This act of terrorism resulted in the death of 91 people. An additional 45 people were injured. The bombing of the hotel produced the largest death toll of any single act of terrorism in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On May 4, 1948, when the British flag was lowered, the building became a Jewish stronghold. At the end of the Israeli War of Independence, the hotel found itself overlooking "no-man’s land" on the armistice line that divided Jerusalem into Israeli and Jordanian territory. It was purchased by the Dan Hotels chain in 1958. The film "Exodus" was shot at the hotel in 1960. When Jerusalem was reunited following the 1967 Six-Day War, the hotel was expanded, with two additional floors.

King David Hotel today

Today, the King David Hotel is part of the Dan Hotel Chain, and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and continues to accommodate foreign heads of state and diplomats visiting Israel. To mark the hotel's 75th anniversary, an exhibit of historic photographs is on display in the lobby. [ [http://www.dailyjews.com/articles/496_king_david_at_75.htm DailyJews - King David at 75 ] ]

References

ee also

*King David Hotel Bombing

External links

* [http://www.inisrael.com/danhotels/king_david/index.html The King David Hotel Jerusalem web site form inisrael.com Interactive Tourism Guide]
* [http://www.gojerusalem.com/SitePage.aspx?siteID=244&FirstCat=Accommodation&SecCat=Hotels&FirstCatVal=1&SecCatVal=2' King David Hotel information, dining and facilities - Go Jerusalem Travel Portal]
* [http://www.danhotels.com/Luxury-Hotel-Jerusalem The King David Hotel Jerusalem Official site]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • King David Hotel — (Тбилиси,Грузия) Категория отеля: 3 звездочный отель Адрес: Проспект Агмашенебели д …   Каталог отелей

  • King David Hotel — Das King David Hotel bei Nacht, von der Altstadt aus gesehen Das King David Hotel (hebräisch ‏מלון המלך דוד‎ Malon ha Melech David) ist ein bekanntes Hotel in Jerusalem …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • King David Hotel —    Built in 1930, it housed the headquarters of the British military and civilian command in Palestine after World War II. On 22 July 1946, the southwest corner of the building was destroyed by a bombing committed by the Irgun Tzvai Leumi (Irgun) …   Historical Dictionary of Israel

  • King David Hotel Jerusalem (Jerusalem) — King David Hotel Jerusalem country: Israel, city: Jerusalem (Central Location) King David Hotel Jerusalem Location The King David Hotel Jerusalem has a prime location, a short walk away from the old city and minute s drive from the shopping area …   International hotels

  • King David Hotel Jerusalem — (Иерусалим,Израиль) Категория отеля: 5 звездочный отель Адрес: 23 King Da …   Каталог отелей

  • King David Hotel bombing — The King David Hotel bombing was a deadly bomb strike by the Irgun, a militant Zionist group, on the headquarters of the British Mandatory authorities of Palestine, located at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The offensive was carried out on 22 …   Wikipedia

  • Hotel King David — Hôtel King David 31° 46′ 28″ N 35° 13′ 21″ E / 31.7744, 35.2226 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Hôtel King David — Pour les articles homonymes, voir David. King David L hôtel en 1931 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • King David Flat Hotel — (Кордова,Аргентина) Категория отеля: 4 звездочный отель Адрес: Avenida General …   Каталог отелей

  • Hotel King David Prague — (Прага,Чехия) Категория отеля: 5 звездочный отель Адрес: Hybernska 42, Прага …   Каталог отелей

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”