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East Side Gallery

When Graffiti Arts Meet Berlin Wall

The East Side Gallery, 1.3 kilometer long, is the best-preserved section of Berlin Wall. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, artists from different countries have created more than 100 works on this section of the wall, which is now the most popular art exhibition area in Berlin.

In the city of Berlin, there is a well-preserved Over 1.3 km Long Section of Berlin Wall, between the Oberbaum Bridge and Berlin East Railway Station. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, more than 100 artists from 21 countries have worked on this section and created 105 Graffiti Works in a Variety of Styles, which quickly became Berlin’s most popular street art showcase, known as the East Side Gallery.

graffiti artwork

Most of the paintings in the East Side Gallery are Related to Politics, showing the German people’s desire for freedom and equality during the Cold War and happiness after the reunification of East and West Germany. Berlin, “Test the Rest” and “The Wall Jumper” are among the masterpieces, but the most famous one is definitely the “Fraternal Kiss”.

Created by Russian artist Dmitri Vrubel, Fraternal Kiss (also known as: My God, Help Me to Survive This deadly Love) is based on a photo of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev kissing East German leader Erich Honecker during a visit in 1979. Just look at the long lines of daily tourists to see how popular it really is.

Manywhere Trivia:
Souvenirs such as postcards and mugs depicting two men kissing can be found on Berlin’s streets, but the authors don’t get any licensing fees because the artworks in public areas is not protected in Germany.

The East Side Gallery is located Along the Spree River of Berlin, where you can enjoy the art while sitting on the shore or a nearby boat with a glass of wine and watch the sunlight reflecting off the water.

Berlin Wall

The Iron Curtain

After the Second World War, East Germany built a 167-kilometer-long Berlin Wall on the border between the two German states, which was not opened until 1989. The East Side Gallery, the Berlin Wall Memorial Park and the Topography of Terror are three of the major remnants of the Berlin Wall.