Berlin's East Side Gallery Gets a Face-Lift

Right in time for the festivities of the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, this Berlin symbol got a well-deserved face-lift: The East Side Gallery, one of the most prominent and longest sections of the Berlin Wall still standing.

After the wall fell in 1989, hundreds of artists from all over the world came to Berlin to transform the grim and gray wall into a piece of art: They covered the east side of the former border, which had been untouchable up to then, with more than 100 colorful murals and paintings, transforming it into the largest open-air gallery in the world.

But the last 20 years took their toll on the colorful attraction: Big sections of the wall have been damaged by erosion, graffiti, and trophy hunters, who chip off little pieces to bring home as a souvenir. In the last months, many of the original artists returned to Berlin to restore their murals, and now the East Side Gallery is finally ready for the Fall of the Wall celebrations, which kick off this weekend in Berlin.

Berlin Travel Tips

• Guide to the East Side Gallery
• Fall of the Berlin Wall
• Berlin Walking Tour: Walk the Wall

_{(all photos by Manuela Guddait)}