The House of Ussishkin Museum, set in the Upper Galilee amid the Hula Valley, the Jordan headwaters, the Galilee, Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights, is reopening its doors as a nature museum and visitor hub for northern Israel. The museum presents activities, displays and exhibitions focused on the history, nature and landscape of the Hula Valley and the surrounding region.
Its creation was tied to the drainage plans for the Hula in the early 1950s, when concern grew that part of the landscape, wildlife and plant life would disappear. The museum preserves that lost world through a distinctive zoological collection, including dioramas more than 60 years old that recreate the richness of the former Lake Hula. The building itself was constructed במיוחד for the museum in the early 1950s, with funding from the Jewish National Fund as a memorial to Menachem Ussishkin, who led the organization for many years.
Museum director Anat Nisim says the site includes displays and collections from the different habitats and landscapes of northern Israel, the Golan and Mount Hermon, as well as a special exhibit on human life in the biblical period based on finds from archaeological excavations at Tel Dan. The storage collection includes about 300 skins of small and large animals and skulls, held for research and educational use only.
Because of its location, the museum also serves as a key information point for hikers. It is described as the first or last stop on the Israel National Trail and a convenient base for trips to Mount Hermon, the Jordan headwaters, Nahal Dan, the Banias, Nahal Snir, the Golan, the Hula Nature Reserve and bird migration viewing. The article notes that National Geographic ranked the Israel National Trail among the world’s 20 most beautiful hiking trails.
