Developers threaten iconic paintings on the Berlin Wall

The most famous images on the Berlin Wall, such as the famous kiss of Leonid Brezhnev and Eric Honecker, may be in danger of destruction.

More than 1.3 kilometers of the open-air gallery can be demolished due to the planned construction of an elite residential building on this site.

“Our guide describes it as a continuous long wall,” says Coco Garcia Lopez, a 21-year-old student from Madrid. “But the 50-meter stretch was already removed a few years ago to provide access to the marina.”

Opponents of the demolition of the Berlin Wall, which is visited by up to 800,000 tourists a year, say that this will not only lead to the loss of religious paintings, but will also offend the memory of those who were killed at this place.

“People died in this place, and the idea of building luxury apartments here is tantamount to building a gas station in front of one of the museums in Berlin,” says Sasha Disselkamp, manager of the Sage nightclub, an opponent of the planned development.

Kani Alavi, the head of an initiative group of artists who developed a project to restore the Berlin Wall four years ago, considers the plans of the city authorities a direct act of destroying a work of art.

The part of the wall that should be destroyed includes the famous colorful drawing of “heads with large lips” by the French artist Thierry Noir. This week, the 54-year-old artist joined the protesters and intends to fight for the preservation of his work as part of the gallery and the survival of the wall as a whole.

“All paintings have become a symbol of freedom in Berlin and Europe,” Noir said. “Unlike other places in the city, where most of the wall has already been demolished, this place is unique, since it was here that the" death strip "passed. If we destroy it, we will destroy the authenticity of this place. ”

The mayor of the district, Franz Schulz, in spite of everything, confirmed that part of the wall would indeed be demolished: “The investor has the legal right to demand this, so we must do this.” On the vacated spot, not only a residential building will be built, but also new pedestrian and bicycle paths, as well as the so-called Brommy Bridge, which was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru