Berlin Wall fenced off to save graffiti from vandals

The colourful East Side Gallery is the go-to selfie spot for tourists and Berliners alike who want to snap a picture with the most famous and longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall.

Now, those selfies are going to reveal something a little extra alongside the wall – a fence.

A metal fence now stands before the most famous stretch of the Berlin Wall, blocking vandals from marring the structure that once blocked free passage between East and West. 

City officials said they had to build the fence to deter vandals from damaging the monument as it undergoes restoration. 

Many of the vibrant murals that were first painted 25 years ago have been covered over by graffiti, scratches and tourists scribbling their names.

Photo: DPA.

“We've witnessed in the last weeks and months an unbelievable amount of vandalism,” said spokesman for the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg neighbourhood, Sascha Langenbach, to BZ newspaper.

The fence will remain until the wall and its more than 100 famous artworks have been restored and repaired. 

But on the official Facebook page for the East Side Gallery, officials indicated that though the fence would be temporary, a more permanent and “sustainable” solution to stop vandals was in the works.

The East Side Gallery was created in 1990 after German reunification, inviting artists from all over the world to decorate the preserved wall along the Spree River.

The last time the wall was restored was in 2009 and many artists were asked to return to retouch their works.

The latest rehabilitation effort is expected to cost €230,000 in total.