I took a ridiculously early morning Saturday flight out to Berlin to be sure to have time to explore before work began. And I am so glad I did.
I was at my hotel, just off the Kurfürstendamm, by 10:00. I dropped my bags and headed out for a tasty breakfast to gather my energy and study my guide book and map, then bought my travelcard and I was off. It is a huge city, but thankfully there’s an excellent public transport system to speed me to the start of my first walk.
I alighted at Ostbahnhof and headed towards the River Spree, destination the Berlin Wall; specifically the 1.3 km long stretch of decorated wall that makes up the East Side gallery. This stretch of wall features over 100 paintings by artists around the world, making up what is probably the largest open air mural gallery in the world.
Whilst the main paintings here are on the east side of the wall, you can get access to both sides of the wall; the area between the river and the wall is now a grassy area. Standing here at the start of this strip of wall, you can see both sides – not something many would have seen between 1961 and 1989.
You can take a quick detour here to get a view of the river and that side of the wall, but then return to the street side to admire the main artwork.
The murals were originally painted in 1990-1991, just after the Wall was opened, but vandalism, graffiti and the weather took their toll. By the early 200s the wall was in a dreadful state and the decision was taken to restore the wall and repaint many of the murals. Many of the original artists took part in the repainting. Some did not, either because they refused or because the were not contacted, in which case another artist carried out the work.
Sadly, as you can see above, there has been more vandalism since the restoration work.
It is a straightforward walk from here, just following the wall and stopping to admire the murals.
Der Mauerspringer (The Wall Jumper) by Gabriel Heimler:
It Happened in November by Kani Alavi
As you get to the end of this stretch of the wall, there is a depiction of Checkpoint Charlie and a souvenir shop.
From here, it’s just a short walk to the Oberbaumbrücke. There’s a bar here where you can have a drink and admire views of the bridge.
Next time, I will take you over that bridge, but for now we are going to turn left and up the hill to the Warschauer Straße stations – you have a choice of tram, U-bahn and S-Bahn lines depending on where you choose to go next. Bon voyage, see you soon.
Copyright Debbie Smyth, 8 June 2015
Part of Monday Walks and Monday Murals
oh, you’ve been there!
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Really enjoyed it. Some great meals but sad to seem them so damaged
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I hate it when people wreck good street art with mindless graffiti, or any kind of beauty (thinking of the wonderful tiles in Lisbon). I am amazed at how many places you get to in a week Debbie. How on earth do you keep up?
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Great photos! Seeing all of the beautiful street art was one of my favourite things in Berlin 🙂
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The ultimate mural!
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A lot going on here!
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The only time I’ve seen the Wall was when I had to go through Checkpoint Charlie. Not nearly as comical experience as the mural suggests. But now the muralists are mocking the military rigidity which is okay by me. Thanks for contributing to this week’s Monday Mural.
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I looked at Checkpoint Charlie but it seemed rather daunting so I crossed the border by train instead!
On Mon, Jun 8, 2015 at 11:15 PM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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Absolutely love The Wall Jumper and It happened in November, Debs. 🙂 It seems only fitting that this should be maintained, doesn’t it? Many thanks for sharing.
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I was shocked by the damage, and this is the second time around. It would be sad to lose it – great art and strong messages. I have more pictures to share but ran out of sorting and editing time!
On Mon, Jun 8, 2015 at 9:57 PM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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So pleased that on your 2017 return visit much of the damage has been rectified, sad though that in order to maintain them they have had to put a fence up
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We visited here too a few years ago and have photos of many of the same pictures. I read that part if the gallery was to be removed (road access to a new hotel or something) so I hope that hadn’t happened 😦
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It has apparently, though I’ve nothing to compare with. Are the paintings more damaged in my photos?
On Mon, Jun 8, 2015 at 9:32 PM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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I don’t remember quite so much graffiti. I think if the road went ahead there must be some panels now missing. Will have to go back to check some day!
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Yes for murals Berlin is the place to be.
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Isn’t the East Side Gallery gorgeous! History, art….
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So sad to see the vandalism on the wall. Some of those original works of art was amazing.
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I bet!
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Looks a bit different to when I saw it coming up to 15 years ago!
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