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Berlin Street Art: Creativity Meets Concrete

Often referred to as the “graffiti capital” of Germany, street art is an integral part of Berlin's identity. Today, the walls of the city keep telling the story of its rich artistic legacy. Anyone who has ever visited the city has undoubtedly noticed the vast amount of stickers, graffiti, and murals covering buildings, lamp posts, benches, and other urban infrastructure, giving the city its unique and beloved vibe. Join us on a Berlin urban art treasure hunt and learn more about this fascinating aspect of the city.

Marion Pottier

Photo: Berlin street art, Pablo Hermoso

Street art and Berlin: a long love story

As a famous international art metropolis, Berlin is also counted among the European street art capitals, alongside London and Paris. Walking through the streets of Berlin is like exploring a surprising open-air gallery. Works by renowned street artists blend with hidden messages written by anonymous people, transforming what could be considered the "ugliness" of big cities into something special and artistic.

Street art can be aesthetic, poetic, or even considered trash, but its message often remains political and engaged. This is the nature of street art: a democratic art form, accessible to all at low cost, in the free public space of the street. It enables interaction between all generations, social strata, and nations, creating a powerful medium for social dialogue.

The movement originated in the 1970s in the USA, with the boom in graffiti, hip-hop, and breakdancing, and reached Berlin during the Cold War. In the 1980s, the young generation living in West Berlin began spraying the Berlin Wall—then separating West Berlin from East Berlin—as a means of protest. The French artist Thierry Noir, who still lives in Berlin today, is one of the first to have used the Wall as a blank canvas. Soon, the Wall of Berlin became a visual marker of the social and cultural differences existing between FRG and GDR: as paintings kept flourishing on the Western side of the Wall the Eastern side remained empty. Then in 1989, with the fall of the Wall, the entire city became a playground for artists from both sides, allowing street art to expand in this new atmosphere of freedom.

Today, street art has become an integral part of Berlin's urban landscape, and some housing cooperatives even collaborate with street artists by providing facades for the creation of large-scale murals. This has a direct impact on the housing market, as rental prices increase near paintings by famous street artists. In 2014, Italian artist Blu covered two of his iconic murals in Kreuzberg with black paint as a protest against the gentrification of the district.

Photo: The Fraternal Kiss by Dmitri Vrubel © Pascal Bernardon

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Locations for street art in Berlin

East Side Gallery

A very touristic place in Berlin, the East Side Gallery remains a significant location in the history of street art in the German capital. At about 1.3 km length, this remaining part of the Berlin Wall is the longest section still standing today. Several murals have now become iconic, such as the “Fraternal Kiss” by Dmitri Vrubel and the well-known Traban on “Test the Rest” by Birgit Kinder.

On 9 November this year, Berlin will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. Numerous open-air events are expected to happen for the occasion, click here to know more.

Location: Mühlenstraße

Holzmarkt

Open since 2012, the artistic collective district is now well known to Berliners. Nevertheless, it remains a must if you want to enjoy colorful street art murals as well as good music, drinks and delicious food on the banks of the Spree.

Location: Holzmarkt 25

Park am Gleisdreieck – Hall of Fame

In this park located next to Schöneberg, adjacent to the skatepark, is the “Hall of Fame,” a large legacy wall where spraying is allowed. It is the perfect place if you are intrigued by the creation process of lettering and graffiti. You can even try it out yourself by obtaining a permit and some street art materials at the Legacy BLN shop on Yorckstraße 53.

Location: Park am Gleisdreieck

Artpark Tegel

Located near Tegeler See, Artpark Tegel boasts the tallest open-air art gallery in Berlin, with giant murals on high-rise residential buildings. Street art enthusiasts can admire impressive pieces created since 2015 by national and international artists. As part of the ONE WALL project, curated by the collective Urban Nation, Berlin-based pop artist Jim Avignon has also added his recognizable touch to the mural collection.

Location: Neheimer Straße 4

Photo: Teufelsberg, Samuel Svec

Photo: Teufelsberg, Renzo Vanden Bussche

Photo: Brave Wall by Katerina Voronina © Peter Lorenz on Street Art Cities B.V.

Photo: Monkeys as art critics, Gabriel von Max © Peter Lorenz on Street Art Cities B.V.

Teufelsberg

Perched on a hill to the west of the city, offering an amazing view of Berlin, Teufelsberg is sure to please both history enthusiasts and art lovers. The former US listening station was used during the Cold War to spy on the Eastern Bloc. In 2012, the Graffiti Lobby Berlin invited street artists from around the world to cover the remaining ruins with colorful murals under the initiative "Auferstanden aus Ruinen" [“Risen from Ruins"], making the site the largest street art gallery in Europe. Guided tours, including nocturnal ones, can be booked to immerse yourself in the mysterious aura of this place where art meets history.

From April to September, every first Saturday of the month is the "Beatgarten Open Air." For the occasion, the Berlin DJ collective Lost In plays from 12 pm to 8 pm, offering visitors the chance to admire this special place in a unique context. Tickets are sold only on site, so we recommend arriving early.

Location: Teufelsseechaussee 10

Selection of 10 of our favorite murals in Berlin

“Make Art not War” by Shepard Fairey (Mehringplatz 28)

“Brave Wall” by Katerina Veronica (Gitschiner Straße 65)

“Music and Dreams” by Jim Avignon (Adalbertstraße 5a)

“Faces” by Thierry Noir (Bernburger Straße 18)

“Flower of Democracy” by DXTR the weird and Andriy Kalkov (Elsenstraße 87)

“Eyes in the Big City” by El Bocho (Lasdehner Straße 7)

“Rounded Heads” by Nomad (Oppelner Straße 44-46)

“Tear down this wall…” by Blu (Köpenicker Straße 10A)

Collage by JR (Prenzlauer Allee 3)

“Gabriel von Max Affen als Kunstrichter” by an unknown artist (Gabriel-Max-Straße ht6)

Photo: Eyes in the big city by El Bocho © Peter Lorenz on Street Art Cities B.V.

Photo: Faces by Thierry Noir © Peter Lorenz on Street Art Cities B.V.

Photo: Music and dreams by Jim Avignon © Peter Lorenz on Street Art Cities B.V.

Photo: Urban Nation Museum, Nika Kramer

Museums and galleries for street art

Urban Nation Museum for Contemporary Art

Located in the heart of Schöneberg since September 2017, Urban Nation Museum is the first museum focusing on street art in Berlin. Created by the street artists collective Urban Nation, the museum aims to make the history of street art tangible. The building is entirely dedicated to street art, featuring exhibitions, workshops, events, and housing the Martha Cooper library. At the Urban Nation Museum, not only is the inside worth a visit, but the whole facade is also designed to be a piece of art and is regularly covered with new impressive murals. Additionally, the neighborhood streets feature urban art pieces by well-known artists.

Location: Bülowstraße 7

Hatch – museum of stickers

Hatch is the project of Oliver Baudach, a street art enthusiast who has been collecting stickers since 1983. He now has an impressive collection of about 30 000 stickers, which continues to grow through donations from artists worldwide. In the northern part of Friedrichshain, he has created an independent museum where he exhibits part of his collection, featuring archives from the 1960s to today. If you are simply curious or a fellow enthusiast, a visit to this unique place is well worth the detour.

Location: Schreinerstraße 10

Urban Spree

Located in Friedrichshain, Urban Spree is an artistic space dedicated to urban cultures. Its 1 700 square meters are used to promote the street art movement through exhibitions, an art store, a bookshop, and artistic residencies. Urban Spree also hosts various concerts and festivals and features an open-air Biergarten, perfect for enjoying summer in an artistic and creative environment.

Location: Revaler Straße 99

Photo: Berlin street art, Mateo Krossler

How to find murals in Berlin?

Numerous websites, such as Street Art Cities, list street art works that you can find in Berlin. The app "About Berlin" also enables you to discover the stories and artists behind Berlin's most famous murals through street art itineraries around the city. Additionally, guided tours dedicated to urban art can be booked on various websites.

True to its reputation, Berlin never ceases to surprise. The next time you step out into the street, put down your phone and keep your eyes wide open; you might be amazed at what you discover.

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