East Side Gallery

The East Side Gallery was created in 1990 to celebrate the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Some 118 internationally recognized artist and groups came to the 0.8 mile long stretch of wall to communicate in paint their reaction and celebration of the fall of the wall. There are a total of 105 artworks most of wish express the joy and hope for a future much more humane and tolerant. They also express hope for a unified Germany, and hope to be free prejudices. The East Side Gallery is located on the Spree River near the Ostbahnhopf (or east train station); it is the world’s longest open air gallery.


The idea for an open gallery to commemorate the coming down of the wall happened when the artist groups from both sides of Germany the VBK’s and the BBK’s joined together. Over the years much of the wall has been tagged with graffiti or vandalized as well as fallen victim to nature pollution. Many had considered tearing the wall down, but much effort has been made by local community members to keep it in tack. There have been many efforts to restore the Gallery, but the cost proved too much for any major improvements. However, in 2009 the wall underwent a complete renovation just in time for the 20th anniversary of the taking down of the wall. In 2008, 20 of the original artist came to Berlin for the kick off of the revitalization project. The total cost of the project was 2.2 million dollars, most of which came from the EU lottery and other federal German agencies.


The East Side Gallery has now been completely revitalized and renewed, and is in beautiful condition. It has also become somewhat of a symbol for Berlin, with prints of the works on souvenir shirts and mugs, even appearing in movies, and mentioned in the Bloc Party hit Kreuzberg. To many Germans the transformation of the wall into art works is a reminder that the ugly past can transform into a better less prejudice future, if only we remember.

http://www.german-way.com/east-side-gallery-berlin.html


http://www.eastsidegallery.com/historyesg.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Gallery