Preserving the East Side Gallery

Preserving a monument means keeping the past visible and treating it responsibly. This is also evident at the East Side Gallery. It was created in 1990 and underwent extensive renovation in 2009. The masonry was secured, and the artwork was almost entirely repainted. Only one original piece remains to this day.

In 2026, the central question will be how this monument can be preserved and maintained in the long term. The director of the East Side Gallery and the FSJ volunteer from the Jugendbauhütte Berlin will provide insights into the theoretical questions surrounding heritage preservation: What measures are necessary to protect both the art and the structure equally? What is the heritage value of the East Side Gallery? Among other things, selected works of art will be presented, such as the painting “Hands,” which holds special significance as the last remaining original. Current measures involving monitoring, damage assessment, and restoration also provide insight into practical heritage conservation.

IN GERMAN