Stretching 1,316 meters, the East Side Gallery in Berlin’s Friedrichshain district is the longest continuous section of the Berlin Wall that has not been demolished.
The wall segment, decorated with numerous artworks and murals, is one of the most famous attractions in Berlin and an absolute must-see!
In this guide, we'll tell you what to expect at the site, the history of the East Side Gallery, and useful visitor information.
Let's start!
Things to Do at the East Side Gallery
As an original segment of the Berlin Wall, the East Side Gallery is not only a piece of German history and a testimony to the inner-German division as well as the GDR regime. It is also an inspiring work of art, as well as the longest "open-air gallery" in the world.
Read below what you can do and see at the historic site:
1. Walk along the Berlin Wall
During a walk along the Art Mile, you can admire the different works of art that creatively capture the events at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as the hopes and joy of the artists.
You can discover over 100 murals by different artists. They uniquely reflect the mood that prevailed shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which is why the predominant theme is peace as well as political statements.
Highlights include the Fraternal Kiss of Honecker and Brezhnev as well as the Trabant seemingly breaking through the concrete. Both artworks are among the most photographed pictures of the East Side Gallery.
Other popular graffiti include the "Wall Jumper," "Diversion to the Japanese Sector," "Dancing for Freedom" and "The Cartoon Heads."
2. Visit The Wall Museum
If you want to learn more about the history of the Berlin Wall, you can visit The Wall Museum at the East Side Gallery.
It is housed in the former watchtower Mühlenspeicher, right in the former death strip. The exhibition provides an insight into how it came to the division of Germany after World War II and the construction of the Berlin Wall. Interviews with contemporary witnesses and exhibits illustrate how East and West Berliners suffered under the Wall, and how their previous lives were fundamentally changed as a result.
- For current opening hours and ticket prices, please visit the official website.
3. Relax on the Banks of the Spree River
The meadow at the back of the East Side Gallery has become a popular place for visitors to the Art Mile.
When the weather is good, you can sit back and relax and let the many impressions go through your mind. Since the meadow is located directly on the beautiful Spree River, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the river and the Oberbaum Bridge.
Entrance, Tickets & Tours for the East Side Gallery
- Entrance: The East Side Gallery is an open-air gallery and can therefore be visited around the clock.
- Tickets: Admission to the East Side Gallery is free of charge.
- Tours: The Berlin Wall Foundation offers public guided tours along the East Side Gallery to individuals and groups. More details here.
- Travelers' Tip: If you would like to discover these and other important original sites and museums in former East and West Berlin on your own, we recommend the audio guide app Berlin - Divided City by YourMobileGuide.
How to get to the East Side Gallery in Berlin?
- From Alexanderplatz: Go 7 stops with the bus 300 to "East Side Gallery".
- From Potsdamer Platz: The easiest way is to take the bus line 300. Get on at the stop "Varian-Fry-Str", and go 17 stops to "East Side Gallery".
FAQ about the East Side Gallery in Berlin
The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining continuous section of the Berlin Wall and at the same time an open-air gallery. 118 artists from 21 countries painted and spray-painted 106 murals on this section in the months following the fall of the Berlin Wall, turning this relic of the GDR regime into a work of art and a symbol of joy at the peaceful overcoming of German division.
The East Side Gallery in the district of Friedrichshain is located on Mühlenstraße between Berlin's Ostbahnhof and Oberbaum Bridge.
The easiest way to get to the East Side Gallery from Alexanderplatz is to take bus 300. Go 7 stops to the "East Side Gallery" station.
From Potsdamer Platz, take bus 300, hop on at the stop "Varian-Fry-Str" and go 17 stops to "East Side Gallery".
History & Facts about the East Side Gallery
In the spring of 1990, just a few months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, 118 artists from 21 countries came to make a statement on the relic of the Berlin Wall with their colorful works. Thus, the symbol of division became a place of art. The open-air gallery opened on September 28, 1990, and was listed as a historic monument just one year later.
In contrast to the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse, which focuses on the negative aspects of the division, the East Side Gallery, as a "symbol of joy," is dedicated to the peaceful overcoming of the division and the works of the artists from 1990, without whom this section of the Berlin Wall might no longer exist.
Unfortunately, the art mile on the banks of the Spree is at the mercy of the weather conditions, so that already in 2000 about 300 meters of the wall section had to be restored, and 33 pictures had to be repainted. In 2009, the entire East Side Gallery was repaired with the participation of 87 artists. Another problem is vandalism. In 2021, fans who had traveled to Berlin for the soccer match between Union Berlin and Feyenoord Rotterdam spray-painted an 18-by-two-meter section of the wall with the words "Feyenoord."
Since November 1, 2018, the East Side Gallery memorial has been managed by the Stiftung Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Foundation).
Contact & Map
- Address: East Side Gallery, Mühlenstraße 3-100, 10243 Berlin, Germany.
- Opening Hours: Daily, around the clock
- Public Transport: Bus: 300 to "East Side Gallery"; U-Bahn: U1 or U3 to "Schlesisches Tor"
- Website: EastSideGalleryBerlin
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