Where the art is in the streets, history is everywhere, and old buildings are given creative new life... “The greatest cultural extravaganza that one could imagine.” That’s how one-time Berlin resident David Bowie described Germany’s capital, the formerly divided city that’s now a hotbed of creativity and experimentation. While the city’s often-tragic history is never far from sight, neither is evidence of Berlin’s ability to reinvent itself again and again. It’s a city where the only constant is change—you never know what you’ll find each time you visit Berlin. |
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Good to know  | Budget: $$$$$ |
|  | When to go: April - October |
|  | Family friendly:  |
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|  | Main languages: German, English |
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| | | | |  | Main airport: BER |
|  | Average SCF deal price: $536 roundtrip |
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A city divided The infamous Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to prevent East Berliners from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from escaping to West Berlin in West Germany.
Many people mistakenly assume that the wall was built around East Berlin. However, the approximately 100-mile Berlin Wall encircled West Berlin, effectively making it a West German island in the middle of East Germany.
The Berlin Wall divided the city in two and stood for 28 years until it fell on November 9, 1989, almost by accident. Although the wall physically no longer exists as a barrier between the two parts of the city, you can walk or cycle its course along the Berliner Mauerweg ("Berlin Wall Path"). The path is lined with memorials commemorating those who died trying to escape. |
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Off the canvas, into the streets Berlin’s street art scene began in the 70s in West Berlin where the massive concrete walls of the Berlin Wall served as a vast, empty space for people (often the marginalized and immigrants) to express their social and political views or affiliations.
Of course, it was forbidden to have any such artistic and political expression on the East Berlin side of the wall. So when the Berlin Wall fell, artists from both sides of the city could finally express themselves. Street art spread throughout the city, helping to turn the gray, monotone buildings in the former East Berlin neighborhoods of Mitte, Friedrichshain, and Prenzlauer Berg into vibrant art scenes. To this day, the city’s many abandoned buildings, bridges, and factories provide an ideal canvas for street artists to express themselves.
Berlin’s classic street art collection remains the East Side Gallery, a concrete canvas for various artists from all over the world stretching over 0.8 miles (1.3 kms) of what was the Berlin Wall. |
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