In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, but the pain that the wall had caused in the divided city was not forgotten. It had been 28 long years for Berlin, and Berliners rejoiced as the wall began to be dismantled. A 1.3km stretch would remain as a tribute to the era’s global euphoria and optimism. The East Side Gallery would become the world’s largest open-air mural collection, featuring a mix of political statements, drug-induced musings and truly artistic visions.

The 118 artists from 21 countries who feature on the East Side Gallery started their work in spring 1990, just after the collapse of the East German Social regime. Nobody had set foot near the inner wall in 28 years, especially not with a brush and a bucket full of paint, (and spray cans were not really a staple in the German Democratic Republic).

The most famous piece of the East Side Gallery is ‘The Kiss’ (or ‘The Kiss of Death’), which features in every Instagram of any tourist who has visited the city. It was created by Dmitri Vrubel, a Russia-born Berlin artist,  and is a reproduction of the famous photography of the kiss between the former head of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev, and the leader of the German Democratic Republic, Erich Honecker, during the celebration of the anniversary of the East German state. The piece is captioned: “God, help me to survive this deadly love”.

The East Side Galley is a must-see during a visit to Berlin (even though I am guilty of not seeing it until my second visit to the city). Due to recent threats of destruction to make room for building projects and the lingering thought that “walls are not everlasting”, there has never been a better reason to visit the worlds most creative freedom memorial.

Address: Mühlenstrasse btwn Oberbaumbrücke & Ostbahnhof

Subway: Warschauer Strasse

Train: Ostbahnhof, Warschauer Strasse

More information: www.eastsidegallery-berlin.de