30 YEARS OF THE EAST SIDE GALLERY

Only a few weeks after the Wall fell on November 9, 1989, 118 artists from 21 countries painted the Berlin Wall on Mühlenstrasse. They created a 1.3-kilometer-long open-air gallery, the longest in the world, between Oberbaumbrücke and Ostbahnhof.

The East Side Gallery was officially opened on September 28, 1990. Both the paintings and the site have changed since then. On the 30th anniversary, the Berlin Wall Foundation invites you to get to know the artists and their paintings and to explore this site’s many stories.

East Side Gallery 1990, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft / Andreas Kämper / RHG_Fo_AnKae

East Side Gallery 1990, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft / Bernd Weu / RHG_Fo_BWeu

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Art Competition
The Competition Jury

We Shall Overcome

Thirty years ago, artists from all over the world created a colorful monument dedicated to human rights, freedom and to overcoming borders peacefully. For the anniversary of the East Side Gallery the Berlin Wall Foundation looked for new border crossers and new forms of expression!

Many different artistic ideas, wishes and visions for the dismantling of social, political or physical boundaries reached us. A jury selected fifteen striking contributions from all submissions for an online voting.

You voted for your favorite pictures in the topics past, present and future and determined the winners:

Past

Baran Kaya, Der versteckte Blick, 2020

Present

Sabine Raband, WoHin?, 2020

Future

Lena Mätschke, Who am I?, 2020

Karsten Wenzel.

Jasmin Hazime

Faouzi Säbisch

Anna Lea Hucht

Lydia Thieme

Frede Macioszek

Gülşah Stapel

Svenja Heißner

EXPLORE

Feelings of the Future 1990
A short explanation:
East Side Gallery
Original from 1990

In the podcast series "Feelings of the Future 1990" artists of the East Side Gallery tell the stories behind their artworks at the Berlin Wall. They recall the moment when they stood in front of the Wall, the same wall that just shortly before had been so threatening and impenetrable, and made their first brushstroke. In their podcasts, they also speak about their hopes for a united Germany.

Podcasts by East Side Gallery artists

Karina Bjerregaard – Himlen over Berlin

5.19
Gabriel Heimler – The Wall Jumper

1.28
Margaret Hunter - Joint Venture

7.25
Mary Mackey - Tolerance

5.15
Kikue Miyatake - Paradise Out Of The Darkness

5.50

Stories Of Origin

Christine MacLean - Manager 1990/1991

7.39

The East Side Gallery is world famous. Its history began even before the painting project in 1990, when the Berlin Wall here separated Kreuzberg from Friedrichshain and West Berlin from East Berlin. In the videos, our guides take you on a trip to Mühlenstrasse - to the East Side Gallery and to the former border strip. They show you historical traces of the former border regime and point out special features of this diverse site, which still continues to change today. With this we would like to invite you to explore the place from your home and give you an impression of the place despite the corona containment measures. The Berlin Wall Foundation is entering unknown territory with the guide videos, produced quickly on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the East Side Gallery, shot at 36 degrees - and is looking forward to your opinions: What information would you like to see in our other videos about the site? Do you have any comments, do you miss any topics or camera perspectives? What do you think is lost if a visit to the site is not possible? The team around the leader of the project "30 Years" and the trainee for the East Side Gallery are looking forward to your feedback!

The site at a glance

3.20
Architectural traces

2.24
Commemorating victims in the area of Mühlenstrasse

3.13
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the creation of the East Side Gallery

4.12
Renovation and controversies at the East Side Gallery

3.20
The GDR border system and the position of the border at Mühlenstrasse

3.18

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the East Side Gallery, the Berlin Wall Foundation conserved the painting "Hands" by Margaret Hunter and Peter Russell. It is the only remaining original and the Foundation aims to preserve it as such in the long term. Only "Hands" was not restored, repainted, or altered during the recent restoration work at the East Side Gallery, but was merely treated for conservation purposes. It gives an impression of what the paintings looked like in 1990.

In her podcast the artist Margaret Hunter remembers the painting of the Wall in the spring of 1990 and also comments on the preservation of the painting.

Margaret Hunter - Hands

6.42

YOUR VISIT

Andy Weiss, „Geist Reise", Photo: Berlin Wall Foundation, 2020

5, 12, 17, 19 & 26 September - Public guided tours

History and Art at the East Side Gallery

In spring 1990, more than 100 artists from 21 countries designed the world's longest open-air gallery on 1.3 kilometers of the former border wall. The art action transformed the former instrument of power into a symbol of joy over the end of the GDR. In the overview tours you learn more about the history of Mühlenstrasse at the time of division, the fall of the Wall and artistic appropriation. The overview tour "Art at the East Side Gallery" tells the story of the historical location by means of selected works of art.

The guided tours take place in German, English, Spanish and French.

Dates

Overview tour: Art at the East Side Gallery

Sa., 5 September | 2 p.m. – 3.30 p.m. | English and German
Sa., 12 September | 2 p.m. – 3.30 p.m. | French and Spanish

Overview tour: History of the East Side Gallery

Sa., 19 September | 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. | English and German
Sa., 26 September | 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. | French and Spanish

Meeting Point

The meeting point for all guided tours is the Berlin Wall Foundation's Infomobile on the Spree side of the East Side Gallery, Mühlenstraße 73, 10243 Berlin.

Adults: €3,50

reduced: €2.50 per person

Greta Ida Csatlòs - Sonic Malade - Fragment

Greta Ida Csatlòs, „Sonic Malade“, Photo: Berlin Wall Foundation, 2020

6, 12/13, 20 & 26/27 September - Live Speaking

Any questions about the East Side Gallery? Come talk to us!

Our guides along the East Side Gallery are committed to exchanging ideas. They are available to answer your questions about the site’s stories and provide information about the artworks.

Our live speakers speak different languages. Just speak to them!

6, 12/13, 20 & 26/27 September | 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Along the East Side Gallery

A registration is not necessary.

Free of charge

BERLIN WALL FOUNDATION

BERLIN WALL FOUNDATION

30 YEARS OF THE EAST SIDE GALLERY

30 YEARS OF THE EAST SIDE GALLERY

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We Shall Overcome

Past

Present