Few People Know About This Iconic Piece of History 

The 10-segment portion of the Berlin Wall in Los Angeles is the longest stretch of the famous Wall in the world, outside of Berlin itself. Courtesy Only in California
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Thousands of locals and visitors pass by this spot without ever realizing there are 10 segments of Germany’s Berlin Wall in Los Angeles. 

By Natasha Kayes 

Only in California 

We are always saying that there is so much to discover here in Southern California. The sort of mind-blowing thing is how many incredible things go unnoticed every single day. In fact, the attraction I am about to describe is one I have literally stood across the street from and never saw. Hiding in plain sight across from a popular art museum is a fascinating piece of world history — a chunk of the Berlin Wall in Los Angeles. 

The Wende Museum of the Cold War is an archive, a cultural center, and an art museum with exhibitions focused on the lives of those affected by the Cold War era. The Wall Project, also called The Wall Along Wilshire, is an installation by the museum in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. 

The museum itself is small and goes under the radar in the city and the wall segments even more so, probably for a couple of main reasons. 

Though the 10-segment portion of the Berlin Wall is openly displayed on one of the busiest streets, Wilshire Boulevard, most people don’t see it unless someone points it out (like one reviewer who said he learned about it from a docent at the LACMA museum across the street.) But why is it so unnoticed? 

First of all, a concrete wall full of street art and graffiti does not exactly stand out as special in a city like LA. Second, the wall is actually not at the museum! It is sitting in front of an office building, next to a gym. 

Standing in front of the popular “Urban Lights” display at LACMA and looking to the left, you can see it — if you know it’s there. 

This is the longest stretch of the famous Wall in the world, outside of Berlin itself. It was painted by several Los Angeles artists and a French muralist who painted on the wall in 1984 in Berlin. This section represents the part of the Berlin Wall that came to be known as the East Side Gallery. 

The last four sections of the wall have original graffiti from Germany when it stood as a separation between the East and the West. 

The Wende Museum is actually about five miles away, but you can learn all about the wall from the Historical Marker sign on the first section facing the street. 

Behind The Wall is a collection of murals on the “east side” of the original wall in Berlin — the side facing the so-called East German death strip. This side of the wall was never painted in Germany, but now features murals by three street artists from LA, London, and Berlin.

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