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The Berlin Wall: a symbol of freedom and a disputed monument
In summer 1990, 118 artists from 21 countries created artworks on the Berlin Wall in Berlin-Friedrichshain. The open-air gallery became known across the world as a symbol of the end of the Cold War. Nevertheless, the question of whether to preserve it remained controversial for many years. It was not until 2000, when building permits had long since been
issued for the surrounding land, that Berlin started to actively protect the historical remnants of the divided city. The book on the exhibition traces the monument's development and recalls the different uses of the site; the various people who claimed it and who were ousted from it. Lastly, the authors look ahead to the East Side Gallery's future as a place for meeting, discussing, and exploring issues concerning the Wall, art, and the city.
About the author
Anna von Arnim-Rosenthal was born in 1983 and studied political science and cultural studies in Oldenburg, Bremen, and Leipzig. Her work focusses on German division, remembrance culture, and monument policy as well as extracurricular learning at historical sites and eyewitness work. She was a research volunteer with Stiftung Berliner Mauer,
2010 – 2012; then research associate at the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship, 2014 – 2018; and is now Head of the East Side Gallery under Stiftung Berliner Mauer since 2018.
Juliane Haubold-Stolle was born in 1975 and studied history and political science in Göttingen, Torun, and Geneva. She holds a doctorial degree in History and was a research volunteer at the German Historical Museum. She works as an exhibition curator in the public presentation and mediation of history, most recently in 2020’s “Ausgeschlossen.
Archaeology of the Nazi Forced Camps" and was the curator of the permanent open-air exhibition at the East Side Gallery under Stiftung Berliner Mauer, 2020 – 2022.
Summary
The Berlin Wall: a symbol of freedom and a disputed monument
In summer 1990, 118 artists from 21 countries created artworks on the Berlin Wall in Berlin-Friedrichshain. The open-air gallery became known across the world as a symbol of the end of the Cold War. Nevertheless, the question of whether to preserve it remained controversial for many years. It was not until 2000, when building permits had long since been
issued for the surrounding land, that Berlin started to actively protect the historical remnants of the divided city. The book on the exhibition traces the monument‘s development and recalls the different uses of the site; the various people who claimed it and who were ousted from it. Lastly, the authors look ahead to the East Side Gallery‘s future as a place for meeting, discussing, and exploring issues concerning the Wall, art, and the city.
