Plot №22 of the Israeli trail "Schwig Israel"

Plot №22, like other parts Israeli Schwal Israel Trail, Ideal for a useful and pleasant family holiday on the day off: convenient entrance, parking, a lot of tourist attractions in the vicinity. True, with rocket shelling from the gase there are rockets and explode. But not all come true!

Quick description of the route

• The start point: highway №3, between Latrun junction and crossroad Xativa Sheva ( "Seventh Brigade").
• End point: on the highway number 38, Polkilometer north of the village of Meliament ("Path to Zion").
• Route length: about 10 km. Difficulty category: Easy.
• Travel time: 3 hours. Recommended Travel Time: October – May.

The neighborhood of the monastery Latrun

The route begins old english police station, near which cruel fights occurred during the war of independence (1948-1949). Here are the remnants of the fortress of the Crusaders and the old Jordanian fortified point. Park "Canada" is located on the same territory, there are ruins of 4 villages abandoned during the six-day war.

On the plaquel installed nearby, a blue markup is visible with a map, denoting route. From this place Trail goes south along the envelope monastery wall.

The monastery was founded in 1890 by the Order of Trappists (Cistercians) and is called "Silence Monastery" (vow of silence persisted in the charter of the monastery until 1960). The gate leads to the habitats of patients healing from drug addiction on special techniques. Shortly after the gate, the tricolor marking of the route is replaced by blue, combining with a different route, and then rises to the destroyed fortress Le touron de cheval ("Rider Tower"), built by the Crusaders in 1132 for the protection of the road to Jerusalem. Subsequently, this place gave the name and the monastery.

At the end of the War of Independence was located here Jordanian fortified. Located on the trail panoramic point overlooking the valley of Ayalon ( "Fawn"), as well as on the road to Jerusalem, to the intersection Sha’ar Guy ( "Valley Gate").

Naveh Shalom – "Abode of Peace"

The trail goes further down, passing between the plantations of the monastery. The route follows a dirt road marked in red, the south. It passes between an olive grove and vineyard. crossway, Nahal Nahshon ( "Snake Creek") and is among the reed stalks. Then the path lying in the direction of the settlement Neve Shalom, half a kilometer route down a dirt road, and soon it rises again.

The village of Neve Shalom unique in its kind, here live together Arabs and Jews who have chosen for myself this way of co-existence. In the settlement &# 8211; More than 300 families and as many expect permission to settle here after the end of the housing.

The trail runs along the village cemetery the grave of the pilot, crashed here by helicopter in 1997.
At the fence of the cemetery the trail turns left onto a dirt road with black markings. After about a kilometer the route turns to the "black" and follow the road to the right along the path are marked in green.

After another kilometer path turns left to another trail marked in red.

"Burmese" road

This path – part of the road Derech Burma ( "Burma"). The road was built in 1948 to bypass the blocked area to deliver supplies to Jerusalem. The name is reminiscent of the way from Myanmar (Burma) in China, according to which during the 2nd World War the allies to deliver humanitarian aid.

The trail is half a kilometer turn left and just a little further – to the right (this stretch of road is called "serpentine"). There is installed Shield with a story how road builders have established here long metal strip designed to prevent slippage of trucks with supplies to the ground. Next to the shield placed carved from iron profiles of soldiers and workers to commemorate the laying of the road.

After 200 – 300 meters, the route reaches the intersection of the trail. Here &# 8211; Little parking.

Messilatelate – "Path to Zion"

Next, the route is marked with red markings. After 1.5 km, the trail approaches the fields of the village Messilatelate. The road sprused by gravel becomes straight. The name of the village reminds about Completion of the operation on unlocking Jerusalem in 1948. Today in the village there are descendants of immigrants from South India.
The route is suitable for a former source of Ein Mesal, ("Rodnik by the Road"), which now turned into a hole with standing water.

During the war for independence, there was a meeting place for the transports following from Jerusalem and to him. Even through Polkilometer of the Forest Road, at the highway number 38, plot number 22 ends. If tourists make a day off day, you can get out to transport on the highway number 1 to return to the beginning of the route.

What near

For tourists planning to make a weekend campaign and came to Latrun from afar, a question may arise how to use the remaining time, because the campaign itself takes only 3 hours.
The answer must please: Attractions are conveniently grouped in the road junction area. Here are the main.

• Museum of Tank Forces Israel’s defense army, where you can familiarize yourself with dozens of samples of Israeli armored vehicles and with trophies, including Soviet production;
• Police station with the exhibition hall on the 2nd floor;
• Park "Latrun", recognized as the center of seasonal migration of migratory birds with equipped places of flight observation;
• Museum "Mini Israel", On the territory of which dozens of buildings and structures of Israel in miniature are represented.