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Berlin’s East Side Gallery is the longest open-air art gallery in the world, where artists have left their mark on an extended section of the original Berlin Wall. Artist got a wide rectangular section of wall as their canvas, and the resulting art is a combination of humor, political satire, and hope. A fitting mix of emotions given the symbolic nature of the wall during the Cold War, and the harsh reality it represented for Berlin’s inhabitants.

I’ve already posted a quite thorough Berlin Cheat Sheet on the blog with my impressions of the city, all the best things to do, restaurants and food to seek out, and thorough tips to make the most of your visit. These images will give you a closer look as to why the city made such an impression on me, and why I left thinking of it as a ‘City of Contradictions.’

The Berlin Wall has been on my mind again lately, as I recently visited a section of the original wall, also adorned with art, in the lobby of a random New York City office building:

I've been to Berlin, but this section of the Berlin Wall I encountered yesterday in the middle of Manhattan! Located in an office building in Midtown, there are 5 panels of the original Berlin Wall that the building owner purchased and has been displaying in NYC for decades. It's one of New York's hidden treasures – you need to know where to look or you'll never stumble upon it. P.S. You can find it in the Jefferies Office Building between 53rd and 54th, and 5th and Madison Avenues. In the lobby. Happy weekend, everyone!!

A post shared by Lana Cohen (@travelsavvygal) on Apr 14, 2017 at 4:17pm PDT

The East Side Gallery of course is the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. You can get a sense of the length of the East Side Gallery in this shot, although you may have to get pretty close to your screen to see just how far it continues to wrap around alongside the road:

In this photo journey through my visit, I’m including the panels that I found most interesting, many of which have incredible detail. I spent around two hours strolling up and down the panels – you could spend more or less depending on how much time you’re interested in spending with each mural.

And you’ll notice that some of my shots include fencing. Over the years since 1990 when the East Side Gallery first opened, there have been some sections obscured by graffiti, and so after a restoration effort, fences have been put up to protect the art.

Here’s what I saw…

German flag with overlay from the Israeli flag:

Portrayal of the Allied Checkpoint Charlie, which connected the two sides of Berlin for those authorized to cross:

Interesting panel, since there is a three-dimensional component with the plant box. Reminiscent of a church for me:

“Save Our Earth” and the incredibly detailed, colorful panel on the left:

Amnesty International dove of peace and chain of captivity:

I’ll let the bold yellow and red here speak for itself:

The panel that was most impactful for me, so I’m including 2 different perspectives. It portrays a “Curriculum Vitae” of the people killed while trying to escape, during each of the years the wall stood from 1961-1989:

Each rose represents one person:

I spent quite a bit of time in front of this final panel, what do you make of it?

Which panel made the biggest impression on you? Have you been to the East Side Gallery? Any memorable panels I missed?

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