The East Side Gallery

Of the approximately 43 kilometers of the Berlin Wall that once separated East and West Berlin, only a small section remains today. Along the Spree, a particularly impressive section serves as a reminder of that era: the East Side Gallery. When the Wall came down in 1990, over a hundred artists from around the world painted the gray concrete of the former border barrier here, transforming it into a colorful open-air gallery. It became a symbol of freedom and new beginnings—and at the same time a memorial against forgetting. What is unusual is that the paintings were created on the formerly heavily guarded eastern side of the Wall, which was inaccessible to the public until 1989. Today, the gallery is a listed historic site and attracts visitors from all over the world. Nearby, the Oberbaum Bridge connects the districts of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg. During the division, it served as a border crossing; today, with its striking red-brick towers, it stands as a landmark of reunified Berlin and offers an impressive view over the Spree.

1 - MAY AYIM (1960–1996) lived in Berlin, where she raised awareness of Afro-German perspectives as a poet and activist. She was committed to anti-racism and the promotion of Black identity in Germany. The May-Ayim-Ufer, from which one looks out onto the Oberbaum Bridge, commemorates her today.

2 - The painting *THE BROTHERLY KISS* by Dmitry Vrubel at the East Side Gallery depicts Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker. Based on a famous photograph from 1979, this graffiti is now one of the most recognizable motifs on the Berlin Wall.

3 - The illustrator HEINRICH ZILLE (1858–1929) captured life in Berlin’s back courtyards and immortalized the “little people” with humor and heart. His works portray the social reality of old Berlin and inform to this day the image of the city around 1900.

4 - RENÉE SINTENIS (1888–1965) was a Berlin sculptor best known for her delicate animal sculptures. She created the famous Berlin Bear, which became a symbol of the capital and is now awarded as the Berlinale Prize.

5 - Ursula Wünsch created the mural PEACE FOR ALL at the East Side Gallery, which she dedicated to the children of the world. The colorful, intertwined figures convey a message of protection and mindfulness.

6 - In the film RUN LOLA RUN (1998), Franka Potente plays Lola as she runs through the vibrant post-reunification city. Several scenes were filmed around the East Side Gallery and the Oberbaum Bridge.

7 - The Sardinian artist Fulvio Pinna painted the work HYMN TO JOY on the Wall. In bright colors, he celebrates the liberation from dictatorship. His painting is meant to remind us that all people are born free.

8 - Rosemarie Schinzler’s work ALLES OFFEN reflects the spirit of renewal after 1989. She painted a total of two works at the East Side Gallery.

9 - LOUISE SCHRÖDER (1887–1957) became involved in politics early on during the Weimar Republic. In 1947, she became Berlin’s first female mayor, making her a pioneer in a male-dominated office. She championed the reconstruction of the city, which had been destroyed by the war, and dedicated herself to social issues, housing construction, and providing for the population.

Did you know …
… that the name Oberbaumbrücke comes from a wooden barrier? Until 1893, the “Oberbaum” was used to block the Spree at night and to control customs during the day.