Berlin O philia

The East-Side Gallery was created in 1990, during the first year after Berlin Wall’s collapse. Hundreds of artists from all over the world came to Berlin, and covered some 1300 meters of the remains of November 1989 events, with 106 stunning wall-paintings, most in a graffiti-like style. The paintings are said to reflect the artists’ thoughts and vision about the new era of peace in unified Berlin.

Located in Friedrichshain near the Ostbahnhof railway station and the Oberbaumbrücke (Oberbaum Bridge), the East-Side Gallery is not only a historical monument of great importance, but also a unique piece of art.

Sadly, the Gallery suffers a shameful neglect, and two-thirds of it are badly damaged. That’s despite the great job and efforts of Künstlerinitiative East Side Gallery e.V. (Artists Initiative East Side Gallery), a registered society, that was founded in order to assure it’s preservation and restoration.

The Wall is now in a state of decay, and the paintings are flaking off. In the official site of the Künstlerinitiative there’s an impressive presentation of the “now-and-then” (check it out). You can read more about it in our post The Berlin Wall is Dying.

Click on the images to enlarge and/or to enter the slideshow mode.
Scroll down for some useful link and resources about the Berlin Wall.

Other Berlin Wall resources:
Berlin Wall’s East-Side Gallery official site
Berlin Wall Zoomified panoramic view of theEast-Side Gallery.
Berlin wall Love Story extra information and some old photos.
Berlin Wall Shop at CafePress. T-shirts, gifts and stuff.