August 7, 2007...11:04 am
Fading Pictures on the Berlin Wall
(above: A stretch of the Berlin Wall by the East Side Gallery)
What price preservation? According to an article on Deutsche Welle, the cost of renovating the East Side Gallery, that most famous stretch of the Berlin Wall, stands at approximately €3 million. The city, being as broke as it is, are not all that interested in footing the bill, and it seems as if their citizens agree: a Tagesspiegel poll has approval for the renovation standing at a paltry 27%.
A stretch of the East Side Gallery was last renovated back in 2001, again without much help from the local authorities, as the folks behind the project - Artists’ Initiative East Side Gallery - got the half a million euros needed back then from private donations. But now they need four times as much, and although the artists themselves are ready and willing, there is a concern that the longer they wait the less chance there is of it ever being restored.
It is understandable that many in the city, and especially those who lived through the division, would like to see all traces of the hated structure removed. But it would be a crying shame if it was to disappear entirely, which is the fear of the Artists’ Initiative and others.
When I first came to Berlin, back in the autumn of 2001, the East Side Gallery was one of the first things on my list to see, and I imagine the same is true for many tourists today. The Lonely Planet bluelist puts the East Side Gallery number one in the world in the category of “Best Public Art”, but anyone who wanders down the kilometre or so stretch of the wall would find it hard to agree anymore, as most of the original works are faded almost beyond recognition, and even those that were renovated seven years ago are struggling against the impact of the weather, hammer-wielding souvenir hunters, and the scribbles of tourist pens.
To my mind, the stretch of the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery, or the smaller - clean - example at Bernauer Strasse by the documentation centre are the best memorials there can be to that period in German history. All the maps and books, even photographs, are not always as effective at telling the story of the division of Berlin as standing face to face with the structure itself. Does this mean, though, that there is any need to touch up the paintings that made up the East Side Gallery?
My feeling is that the more reasons people have to go and take a look the better.
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4 Comments
August 17, 2007 at 1:12 am
For me, this is nothing less than heartbreaking. The East Side Gallery is one of my favorite Berlin spots, and when I went there last year it was sad to see the poor condition it has degraded to.
I will soon upload some photos I took that I think may make the point, and link here. Thanks for that important post.
P.S. 3 million Euro is small change in terms of what has already been spent on restoration in Berlin in the past couple years.
August 19, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Hi Shooky,
Looking forward to seeing the photos. I agree that 3 million is small change, especially when you consider the things that governments and city councils spends on other stuff…
August 25, 2007 at 4:19 pm
That’s really odd, you know, since Germans are such experts in restoration. Maybe the East-side Gallery isn’t that important as Brandenburg Gate or the Reichstag, but it’s still worth saving.
I’m working on a large project about the Wall, and when it’s done I’ll post it with many pictures. Meanwhile, here’s a few examples in my Hebrew blog
http://www.notes.co.il/shooky/22932.asp
September 1, 2007 at 7:30 pm
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