Berlin 5 - crossing the wall

Fifty years after the Communists sealed off West Berlin, I'm sure many visitors to the reunified city will be surprised to find there are remarkably few remnants of the Berlin Wall.

Since 1989, the Germans have taken great pleasure in obliterating it and people have helped themselves to chunks of it (I know of a Las Vegas casino where several concrete slabs are now a urinal). What little remains is still the target of souvenir seekers, so this section remains behind fencing.

That's right, a wall for the wall!

The most significant section is now known as the East Side Gallery, the world's largest open air art gallery. There are about 100 panels along a half mile of the old Berlin Wall  painted by artists from all over the world who turned this into an impromptu 'memorial to freedom' right after the wall itself began to be dismantled.

Money is being spent on actually rebuilding part of the wall, with all the paintings being restored using weather-resistant materials.

Not all artists agreed to renovation, while some painted entirely different works.

Although this means visitors will be able to appreciate the artwork for longer, little of it is original and it is still a target for vandalism. But I suppose that's all part of the transient nature of open-air art.

Graffiti is bit of an art form for Berliners and there is certainly plenty nearby, not just on the old wall.

 

 The wall may be gone, but there is still a language barrier!

IF YOU GO 
Closest U-Bahn station is Schlesisches Tor on the U1 or a short walk from Warschauer Straße (U1, S-Bahn) and the terminus of tram line M20. Look for the red brick turrets of the Oberbaumbrücke which cross the river nearby.