The East side gallery happened spontaneously – rather than by design.

During the Cold War, artists on the Eastern side of Berlin – which had fallen to communism –  were not allowed to paint.

When the wall of Berlin finally came down in 1990, artists from all over the globe flocked to Berlin and painted a mile-long mural on the wall – and thus the East Side gallery was born.

Although the artists originally painted both the west side and east side of the wall, it is mostly the paintings on the Eastern side which have survived to this day.

The East Side Gallery is located at Muhlenstrasse 1 and since it is an open wall, no entry fees are charged and there are no hour restrictions – talk about the free spirit of art!