East Side Gallery Berlin – Germany
Feasibility study on ways of protecting and preserving the East Side Gallery through conservation-restoration
In addition to the preparation of expert opinion on the concrete repair, restoration, and conservation of the Berlin Wall, an initial sample restoration was carried out on a section of the East Side Gallery in Berlin, and the specifications for the overall restoration were drawn up.
The unusually complex damage situation of the East Side Gallery results from the exposed location directly next to a main road, the free weathering of the wall, a girder not prepared for the wall paintings, the decay of the concrete, the corrosion of the reinforcing steel and last but not least the damage caused by vandalism.
Within the scope of the study, new conservation methods for the preservation of the wall and its paintings were developed, or those adapted to the special situation of the East Side Gallery. These were closely related to the concrete repair measures developed by monument conservation specifications. One objective of these specifications was to preserve the original wall structure and surface during the conservation measures.