East Side Gallery, Berlin

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In the beginning of the 80’s, people used to write political signs on the Wall. At Potsdamerplatz, Checkpoint Charlie and Kreuzberg painted graffiti turned the Wall into a tourist attraction. In April 1984, French artist Thiery Noir and his colleague, Christophe Bouchet covered the grey cement of the Wall with bright colours and figures and with what was described as “sad poetry”. The two young lads moved in Berlin in 1982, enchanted by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who also used to live in the west part of the city. These two painters lived near the Wall and were looking for a way to make it look less boring but neither to downplay, nor to embellish it. As any intervention was prohibited, they had to move quickly, keeping one eye on the painting and the other on the soldiers. Other artists came along and helped this part of the Wall gain charm, character and political meaning. After 1987, 15-year-olds turned the Wall into graffiti jungle. Only after the Wall fell, did the artists’ work become the regularity.

Today, 1300 meters with 106 works of more that 120 artists, stand for the world not to forget to remember the hope and the change…

Also worth mentioning is that Noir’s work is imprinted in the film “Wings of desire” by Vim Venders (1987). Later on, the band U2 asked Noir to design 6 east-german trabant cars for their 1991 album “Achtung Baby”.

just besides the East Side Gallery is Berlin's first sandcastle competition. Absolute fantastic and amasing. You can see the sandcastles only till 20 July but it is defenitly worth to see!!!

See my travelogues for some great pics :-)))

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A 1.3 km stretch of the old Berlin Wall with beautifully drawn murals each with its own messages of peace, harmony, freedom and of breaking the shackles of oppression. There are some really great murals here and the messages really come through in the paintings. I had a great experience here and was glad I saw it.
Judging by the pics I viewed on the internet before I went, the murals seem to be restored. You won't be disappointed visiting the East Side Gallery.
Located right in front of S-Bahn station Ostbahnhof on Muhlenstrasse.

The Berlin Wall is one the biggest tourist attractions in Berlin so it’s ironic that not much of the wall still exists. The East Side Galley is the largest remaining section of the wall, spanning about 1.3 km. When communism reigned, the east side of the wall was unpainted concrete as anybody getting close enough to that side of the wall would have likely been shot dead. After the wall came down in 1990, this section of wall was converted into a huge open air museum. For the first time, artists were allowed to paint on the wall and many painted very political messages of freedom and liberty. Unfortunately many of those original paintings have been damaged by vandalism, graffiti and weathering. When I visited in the summer of 2009, many of the originals had been repainted (in the same design by the original artists) and others were in the process of being redone. The gallery is a must see because it’s free, easy to get to and the messages are very thought provoking.

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Is the stretch of long, well-preserved and most interesting of the Berlin Wall. Its 1300 meters in length parallel to the river Spree and has become an art gallery outdoors. Originally created by a group of international artists in 1990 and partially renovated in 2000. It is well worth visiting for its eclectic mix of political statements, images and visions really surreal art.

Es el tramo las largo, bien conservado y mas interesante del muro de Berlin. Sus 1.300 metros de longitud discurren paralelamente al rio Spree y se ha convertido en una galeria de arte al aire libre. Creada originalmente por un grupo de artistas internacionales en 1990 y restaurada parcialmente en el año 2000. Merece la pena visitarlo por su mezcolanza eclectica de declaraciones políticas, imagenes surrealistas y visiones realmente artisticas.%f

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This is one of the longest surviving sections of the Berlin Wall being over 1km in length and is the largest open air gallery in the world. It comprises of the work of 118 different artists from 21 different countries as a tribute to the fall of communism. It was organised by a Scottish artist call Chris Maclean in 1990. Unfortunately souvenir hunters, graffiti and the weather have all taken their toil over the years, coupled with being next to a busy road. It is best visited early in the day as the sun is directly in front of the wall in the afternoon which can spoil your photographs.

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The Berlin Wall East Side Gallery is a 1.3km-long section of the wall near the center of Berlin. Approximately 106 paintings by artists from all over the world cover this memorial for freedom and make it the largest open air gallery in the world.

Between Oberbaumbrücke (Oberbaum Bridge) and the Ostbahnhof station, along the former borderline that ended at the Spree and Mühlenstrasse, stretches a unique picture palette that marks a sign of overcoming inhumanity. After the Wall came down in 1989, hundreds of artists from all over the world gathered and transformed the eastside of the Wall that had been untouchable up to now, with their paintings.

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IF LIKE MYSELF YOU LIKE YOUR HISTORY, THEN YOU SIMPLY CANNOT MISS THE CHANCE TO SEE THE LONGEST AND BEST PRESERVED SECTION OF THE BERLIN WALL.
THE "EAST SIDE GALLERY" RUNS FOR SOME 1300M AND IS THE LARGEST OPEN AIR GALLERY IN THE WORLD.
WE GOT THE TRAIN FROM ALEXANDERPLATZ STATION TO OSTBAHNHOF THEN TOOK THE SHORT WALK TO STRALAUER PLATZ AND THE START OF THE GALLERY.
THIS SECTION OF THE BERLIN WALL RUNS ALONG THE BANKS OF THE RIVER SPREE..
THE AREA THAT THE GALLERY IS IN IS TO BE HONEST QUITE BLEAK..THEN AGAIN THE WALL ITSELF HARKS BACK TO A TIME WHEN THE WHOLE OF BERLIN WAS BLEAK SO MAYBE ITS FITTING... THE PAINTINGS ON THE WALL HAVE SEEN BETTER DAYS, WITH QUITE A LOT OF GRAFFITI ON THEM..WHICH IS A SHAME REALLY AS SOME OF THEM ARE VERY VERY GOOD.
THE PAINTINGS SEEM TO GET BETTER AS YOU WALK ALONG..A FAVOURITE OF MINE IS CALLED THE "MORTAL KISS" THIS PAINTING SHOWS ERICH HONECKER AND LEONID BREZHNEV KISSING.
OTHER PAINTINGS SHOW CHILDREN "DANCING TO FREEDOM" AND AN OLD TRABI CAR BUSTING THROUGH THE "WALL"
TOWARDS THE END OF THE GALLERY THERE IS A SHOP SELLING BOOKS AND PIECES OF THE BERLIN WALL... YOU CAN ALSO GET YOUR PASSPORT STAMPED WITH THE OLD DDR STAMP OR CHECKPOINT CHARLIE STAMP... VERY TOURISTY.
THE "EAST SIDE GALLERY" HAS SEEN BETTER DAYS, BUT IT IS A PIECE OF HISTORY THAT REALLY IS WORTH SEEING.
AND THE PRICE OF ALL THIS HISTORY ?? ITS FREE !! JUST TURN UP AND LOOK.
THE EAST SIDE GALLERY IS NOW A LISTED LANDMARK.