6 Of The Best Places To See Street Art In Berlin – You Don’t Want To Miss These

Known as one of the best cities in the world to see street art in, there are lots of places to explore. Here are the 6 best places to see street art in Berlin.

Most people will know Berlin as having one of the best street art scenes in the world, without even having visited. So the main questions tend to be, why is there so much graffiti in Berlin? and what are the best places to see street art in Berlin?

First of all, let’s tackle the difference between graffiti and street art. First of all, graffiti tends to be letter-based, whereas street art will typically be image-based. Secondly, graffiti is used more so for self-expression. On the other hand, street art is usually created with the purpose of being seen. There will typically be a message that the artist is trying to convey to the viewer, which can vary greatly.  

Why is there so much graffiti in Berlin? 

The old-age question is, why is there so much graffiti in Berlin? There are several reasons as to why, and as someone who has lived there, I have heard all of these versions. I assume the answer lies within a good mix of the three. First of all, Berlin has overcome a very harsh history, from the Second World War to the Cold War. People living here have been very used to living under oppressive regimes and little freedom. Today, graffiti can be seen as a way of self-expression and being defiant when the risk is much lower than before. 

Another perspective, which closely ties to the first, is the lack of cameras around the city. The only place you will find security cameras in Berlin is in the U Bahn (and other trains) stations. In East Berlin, this was especially a sore topic, as they had been living under a “Big Brother” like reality. Since there are barely any security cameras in the city, it is extremely difficult to catch those who vandalize. 

Lastly, I heard the following perspective on one of my guided tours. The guide told us that most of the buildings here are owned by people living abroad. Coming out of years of war, many people did not see buying real estate as a smart investment. Therefore, much of the city is actually owned by investors from abroad, who saw the opportunity. Due to this, even if the police catch someone spraying on a building, they must contact the owner and punish him based on the owner’s response. Many times the owner will not want to arrange for it to be cleaned, as it does not impact whether or not people will continue renting their apartments, and therefore the police cannot actually punish the graffiti artists. 

What are the best places to see street art in Berlin?

This post will cover the best places in Berlin to see amazing street art. In addition, afterward, I will delve into some popular artists known around Berlin. I will explain who they are, and how to spot them. This way you can turn it into a fun game during your visit – who can recognize the most graffiti/street art around the city! I introduced my mom, who is not a big fan of graffiti, to this game, and now she enjoys scouting for things she can recognize. 

This post is all about the best places to see street art in Berlin.

6 Of The Best Places To See Street Art In Berlin

1. East Side Galley

Starting with the most obvious of the places on the list, we have the East Side Gallery. The East Side Gallery is a permanent open-air gallery of the Berlin wall. The gallery continues for around 1.3 km and is the longest continuous section of the wall that is still in existence today. It starts just after Ostbahnhof station and goes up to the Oberbaumbrücke bridge. The gallery opened in 1990 after various artists from around the world came to contribute to it.  The murals mostly represent the way these artists saw the political changes after the fall of the wall, and in general feelings regarding the Cold War. A particularly popular mural here is one by Dmitri Vrubel where Brezhnev (General Secretary of the Soviet Union) and Honecker (General Secretary of the GDR) are kissing. 

Although the murals were painted in 1990, many have undergone several restorations. This is because since it is outdoors, the paint wears out and needs to be restored every few years. Although this, there is one mural that is still the original version painted in 1990.  While this place is probably the most known place in Berlin, it offers impactful art that all visitors must witness. 

2. Dead Chicken Alley

While this spot is also fairly known, it is extremely special and not one to be missed! It might even be my favorite spot on this list. 

The name of the alley comes from the group of artists (the dead chickens) who found it. After the Cold War, there were many buildings in Berlin (especially in the east) that were completely abandoned. The artists found this alley in between the abandoned buildings and used it as an outlet for their political thoughts and creativity. At one point, they found documents showing that the Otto Weidt workshop for the blind Jews had been set up here during the Second World War. Due to this, the city council decided the preserve the alley and even opened up a free museum about the Otto Weidt workshop. 

The main draw of the alley is the everchanging murals found on the walls. While some are permanent (such as the portrait of Otto Weidt), other huge paintings can change overnight, making it exciting to visit several times. The other side of the alley is filled with smaller works and graffiti anyone can add to. With so much to see, you can easily spend many hours looking at it all. There is also a nice staircase at the back of the alley leading to several galleries. The stairs are very special, with the entire walls and ceiling covered in different stickers, so do not miss it. Lastly, during the warmer weather, there are two cafes/ bars you can relax in and enjoy the atmosphere of this unique alley in the middle of busy Berlin. 

3. R.A.W. Gelände

This spot is located very close to the East Side Gallery, just ahead of the Warschauer station. This complex used to serve industrial purposes for more than 100 years. Since then, it has been transformed into a creative space, used for artistic, cultural, and commercial activities. These include a beer garden, a digital art installation, an outdoor swimming pool, a skatepark, and many more. Click here to read more about the R.A.W. and things you can do here. While there are lots of activities to check out here, my favorite part is walking around and admiring the street art. There are so many fascinating paintings and sculptures, as well as a good mix of random pieces all over the walls. Once again, this is a place you could spend hours walking around, to indulge in all of the interesting artworks.

4. Teufelsberg 

This place is one of the coolest and creepiest spots in all of Berlin. While it technically sits a bit outside the city center, it is definitely worth a visit. Teufelsberg is actually the name of the tall white “weather station” sitting on top of a hill in the Grunewald forest. I put the quotation marks because it was used as a spy station during the Cold War, under the pretense of it being a weather station. The Grunewald forest was in West Berlin, which the Americans took advantage of by setting up a spy tower at a tall vantage point. That way they got a lot of important information regarding East Berlin and the Soviet Union.

Since the end of the war, the station was abandoned, and naturally, it became a haven for street artists. Today you have to pay an entrance fee of 8 euros, to be able to witness the mystery and artwork this place holds. Since this money gets used for maintenance and safety regulations of the site, the price is quite reasonable. You can read more about opening hours and other policies regarding a visit here. 

5. Street art in Berlin: Kreuzberg

Kreuzberg is the district within Berlin where you can find the most graffiti and street art. Up until now, I have covered areas that are somewhat designated to show off creative street art. In comparison, Kreuzberg is simply covered in graffiti on many residential buildings and you can find a wide variety of works here. I highly recommend walking around the streets here and keeping your eyes peeled and most importantly, looking upwards. To see some of the biggest artworks on the buildings here, walk along the U-Bahn rails. This is because a lot of artists strategically choose the buildings around the rails so that people taking the trains will see their work.  

6. Street art in Berlin: Urban Nation

This last spot is actually a museum dedicated to street art. I personally wasn’t sure what I would think of this museum, but I ended up really enjoying it. Urban Nation is dedicated specifically to street art and graffiti artists and has a wide variety of works shown. The museum is free to enter, but consider giving a small donation if you can, to help it stay open to the public and support the artists. Although it is not a very big or well-known museum, the artwork is very thought-provoking and I highly appreciated it. The museum is located right by the Nollendorfplatz U-Bahn station, and personally I spent around 1-2 hours here. 

Bonus: well-known artists to look for

As promised, below is a list of some of the most prevalent artists I have come across in Berlin. The list will be quite short, simply going over the name of the artist/group and how to recognize them. This way you can make it a small game to try to recognize as many works as possible!

• 1UP – stands for 1 United Power. They are native to Kreuzberg and easily recognizable because they simply spray their name. (try to find them in some of the pictures above 😉)
• Paradox – will typically spray his name in what he calls spiritual letters. These will be colored in a mix of black, blue, and red (to represent good and evil). In addition, these works are usually found along a tall building and start from the top story.
• CMYK – as the name suggests, all of the works are in the colors cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). The artist tends to use pop-out materials on buildings and a variety of shapes.
• Invader – very well known internationally. Invader is known to create pixelated mosaics of old video games (ie. Pacman). Although I haven’t found many pieces in Berlin, there is an app called FlashInvaders that will help you find his work all around the world!

 

Overall, Berlin has lots of amazing places to explore if you are a street art enthusiast. Personally, I found it very intriguing to learn about the different artists and their works. In addition, it has definitely led me to explore new areas I may not have found otherwise, and will help you do the same. Street art is such a big part of the culture in Berlin, that I think everyone visiting should learn a little bit more about it.

This post was all about the best places to see street art in Berlin.