East Side Gallery

Some of the amazing artwork on the East Side Gallery

On my last day I needed to go visit the East Side Gallery.  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.  On the other side of the wall, the side that would have faced the death zone, has evolved an informal gallery of graffiti that is also pretty impressive.  Here is a short video of me cycling along the base of the wall on the death zone side.

Riding along the base of the inside of the East Side Gallery

But it is truly the formal gallery side that is so impressive.  The Gallery consists of 105 paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side of the Berlin Wall.  It is possibly the largest and longest-lasting open air gallery in the world.  The paintings at the East Side Gallery document the time of change and express the euphoria and great hopes for a better and free future for all people of the world.  Below is a short video snippet of this east side.  You want to take pictures of so many of the paintings because they are so good.

The East Side Gallery paintings – a section by bike.

A moving tribute

They have had to restore and clean up the paintings due to the idiots who cover over them with stupid scrawl and messy graffiti.  This really pisses me off.  There are signs everywhere that tell you not to deface the wall – they can go to the other side and do graffiti if it is so necessary for them, just not the beautiful painted side.  Such jerks.  But don’t get me ranting on that.  Anyway, I just wanted to post this because it deserves a post and it really was/is beautiful and moving.  This wall has not been moved from its original location right along the River Spree.

A hand for a hand - touch - don't deface

This picture speaks for itself