Whether you’re a history boff or an art enthusiast, Berlin’s East Side Gallery needs to be on your list of things to see when visiting the German capital. Having studied European Studies at university there was a huge emphasis on the history surrounding Berlin between 1933 and 1989, with a number of my modules focusing on the Cold War. Before I began my degree, I must admit that I knew relatively little about this event in recent history, but I’ve since read loads of books, seen plenty films, visited numerous museums and written more than enough essays on the topic. Practically one of the only things I hadn’t yet done was to visit the wall itself. So, on a recent trip to Berlin, I made sure that the East Side Gallery was top of my to-do list.
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Before I start, I thought I’d just recap on a bit of info from earlier post ‘Ten Things You Must See in Berlin‘ which of course featured the East Side Gallery. For those of you who have got this far and are wondering what exactly I’m talking about, the East Side Gallery is a surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall and is now an international memorial for freedom. The Gallery, which is just over 1.3km long, is made up of 105 paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side of the Berlin Wall. The paintings, which make a political commentary on events during the time, also spread messages of love and peace.
Location
The East Side Gallery can be found on Mühlenstraße in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, covering the distance between the Oberbaumbrücke and Stralauerplatz. The best way to reach the Gallery is to take the S-bahn (S5, S7 and S75) or U-Bahn (U1) to Warschauer Straße.
East Side Gallery
With over 105 paintings to choose from, it was difficult deciding which to include in this post! I’ve gone for some of my favourites!
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I hope you liked my post and the pictures – maybe you have a favourite? Have you visited the East Side Gallery before, or are you planning a visit? Do let me know in the comments below and as always any questions, ping them my way!
