Are you visiting Berlin in the near future? Don’t miss the East Side Gallery, which is located between Oberbaumbrücke (Oberbaum Bridge) and the Ostbahnhof. It is along the former borderline that ended at the Spree and Mühlenstrasse. You would definitely not miss this historical and artistic piece of the wall.
You must be reminded that the east side of the wall is in the communist side which was closed to West Berlin and can not be approached by people or they risk getting shot by the soldiers.
When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, many artists from all over the world came together and flooded the east side of the wall with their own paintings. The new face of the wall is now known as the East Side Gallery, which expresses the euphoria and hopes of a reunified Germany.
Today, the East Side Gallery contains a large picture wall with over 100 paintings. However, ten years later, the old paintings are starting to fade and are in bad condition. Tourists can still see the paintings but the strength of the colors is not the same.
There was even discussions to remove it, but a group of Wallartists founded the Künstlerinitiative East Side Gallery who fought for its conservation at its original place. The initiative was successful and the East Side Gallery remains at its old location.
Some important tips for you.
The East Side Gallery has various meaningful murals that have some political content themes. But if you would like to see some other piece of this historical wall, you can visit the Martin-Gropius-Bau museum. This museum has pieces of the original Berlin Wall located in its vicinity. Then, there are also two smaller pieces of the original Wall in Potsdamer Platz and at the corner in between Ebertstrabe and Bellevuestrabe.
The East Side Gallery is a must for you as a first-time visitor to the city. It is better to visit the East Side Gallery when the weather is not so cold or not so warm. You need at least an hour to appreciate the paintings.
There is even a souvenir stand, restaurant and a boat bar lounge where you can enjoy buying and drinking some cold cola after an hour of intensive art appreciation. There is no entrance fee and people of all ages can really enjoy an outing in the East Side Gallery.