The famous graffiti-covered section of the Berlin Wall is called the East Side Gallery. It is a permanent open-air gallery in Berlin’s Friedrichshain district, stretching along Mühlenstraße beside the River Spree between Ostbahnhof and the Oberbaum Bridge.
After the Wall opened in November 1989, 118 artists from 21 countries painted murals on the surviving section in spring 1990. The artworks reflected the political changes of 1989–90, expressing hopes for freedom, peace, and German reunification. The gallery contains 105 paintings, including Dmitri Vrubel’s famous mural depicting Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker kissing.
A common mix-up is assuming that all of the paintings are original. Weather, vandalism, and conservation problems led to extensive restoration, and many works were repainted in 2009. Parts of the Wall were also removed during later construction projects. The East Side Gallery is therefore both an art attraction and a protected historical monument commemorating the Wall’s fall.