Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station: a grimy commuter hub with a soul

Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station: a grimy commuter hub with a soul

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Opened in 1993 with hopes of rejuvenating one of its poorest neighbourhoods, Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station is now commonly referred to as "the Monstrosity".

. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern
Girls from Eritrea play in an open area opposite the Central Bus Station.

An urban development dream gone bad, the seven-storey jumble of grungy corridors was once envisaged as a slick shopping centre serving streams of commuters.

Instead, with many of its store fronts long shuttered, its labyrinth of passageways has given rise to an eclectic mix of commerce and culture.

. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern
People eat food purchased from a nearby Filipino food market inside the Central Bus Station.

A Philippine food market serves a large community of carers for the elderly, there's a makeshift Philippine church, a folksy Yiddish book centre and money changers.

Dancers, musicians and circus artists use its free space to practice and perform, and the homeless are also drawn into its shadows.

. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern
Dana Forer performs in the group's show "Seven".

The station's diversity reflects the neighbourhood, where a large foreign migrant population lives in mostly run-down apartment blocks.

Dana Forer, 40, is a member of the Mystorin Theatre Ensemble which has made the building its artistic home.

"The Central Bus Station is a playground for imagination," she said. "I feel full of joy and creativity when we light up the dark spaces with our performance."

. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern
Lehman plays an accordion next to books placed inside a cultural center used by "Yung Yidish," a non-profit organisation aiming to preserve Yiddish culture, at the Central Bus Station.

Tamar Lehman is a 32-year-old social counsellor for young adults who comes to the station to practise dancing and play her accordion.

"I felt this building is just like the people I work with - they may appear totally confused within themselves, not understood, bizarre, but the more you learn about the people and their inner structure you slowly become more familiar with their inner world, with all its craziness, and you see the beauty," Lehman said.

. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern
Merry Christ Palacios prays during a church service held at the Central Bus Station.

Merry Christ Palacios, 37, is a carer from the Philippines who shops at the station and worships in its church.

"It's special because I can find everything we need to buy," she said, but added visitors need to be "very careful about their bag, cellphone, money and things" as they navigate the station's hallways.

. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern
Pinto practices her acrobatics skills during a weekly informal circus community meeting at the Central Bus Station.

Stav Pinto, 24, employs her circus talents to teach life skills to special needs children. Pinto and her hula hoop take part in an informal circus group that meets on Monday evenings.

"There's a magical air to the Central Bus Station that reminds me of a dark urban forest."
Stav Pinto

"It's a place of adventure where you can meet a variety of people and be exposed to different cultures. Every time I walk through it, I can discover a new place that is completely different from the others."

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Slideshow

Buses are parked at the Central Bus Station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

Buses are parked at the Central Bus Station.

A bus stands next to a petrol pump on the upper floor of the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A bus stands next to a petrol pump on the upper floor of the station.

A bus driver cleans a bus at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A bus driver cleans a bus at the station.

Passengers stand in a queue as they wait to board a bus at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

Passengers stand in a queue as they wait to board a bus at the station.

An Israeli soldier smokes as he waits with others to board buses at a terminal.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

An Israeli soldier smokes as he waits with others to board buses at a terminal.

People play a game of Bingo at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

People play a game of Bingo at the station.

Actors from the Mystorin Theatre Ensemble, and a passerby, walk down the stairs during the group's show "Seven".
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

Actors from the Mystorin Theatre Ensemble, and a passerby, walk down the stairs during the group's show "Seven".

A man walks by as a woman waits outside a hairdresser shop at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A man walks by as a woman waits outside a hairdresser shop at the station.

A man sits in his wheelchair as he feeds his pet parrots at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A man sits in his wheelchair as he feeds his pet parrots at the station.

A muslim man prays near graffiti at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A muslim man prays near graffiti at the station.

A Druze woman selling traditional food at a makeshift stall serves a customer at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A Druze woman selling traditional food at a makeshift stall serves a customer at the station.

A cleaner works next to shops inside the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A cleaner works next to shops inside the station.

A vendor carries plastic flower decorations out of a shop as he prepares to open the store at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A vendor carries plastic flower decorations out of a shop as he prepares to open the store at the station.

A broken mannequin is seen next to an artist's studio at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A broken mannequin is seen next to an artist's studio at the station.

A man poses for an artist as a model at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A man poses for an artist as a model at the station.

Actors from the Mystorin Theatre Ensemble are seen inside a former box office as they perform in the show "Seven".
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

Actors from the Mystorin Theatre Ensemble are seen inside a former box office as they perform in the show "Seven".

Screens are seen in an office used by maintenance staff in the basement of the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

Screens are seen in an office used by maintenance staff in the basement of the station.

A urinal is seen in the basement near a sign pointing towards a bomb shelter at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A urinal is seen in the basement near a sign pointing towards a bomb shelter at the station.

A general view of an entrance road into the basement of the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A general view of an entrance road into the basement of the station.

A discarded gaming machine is seen in the basement at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A discarded gaming machine is seen in the basement at the station.

A child sleeps on a couch inside a cultural center used by "Yung Yidish," a non-profit organisation aiming to preserve Yiddish culture, at the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A child sleeps on a couch inside a cultural center used by "Yung Yidish," a non-profit organisation aiming to preserve Yiddish culture, at the station.

Seats are seen inside an abandoned cinema in the basement of the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

Seats are seen inside an abandoned cinema in the basement of the station.

A poster rests against a counter in an abandoned cinema in the basement of the station.
. Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters/Corinna Kern

A poster rests against a counter in an abandoned cinema in the basement of the station.