The Berlin Wall | What's (in) the Picture?

Looking East (and for the West)-Berlin

View of the Bundestag offices and pedestrian bridge over the Spree River in Berlin, showcasing modern architecture against a cloudy sky. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

The last time, before this visit in September, I saw this part of Berlin was in November 1989. This side was West Berlin, the Spree and across was East Berlin. The Berlin Wall cut straight to the right. It was just 20 meters from the East wall of the Reichstag.

Now the Bundestag offices connect both sides of the river. The tension of the Berlin Wall is literally out of sight. But not forgotten. Seven crosses are just outside this frame on the right side. They remind us of the people who tried to flee East Germany and were killed.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version. The monochrome photo of 1989 was shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX.

Reichstag Berlin: Dem Deutsche Volke

The front view of the Reichstag building in Berlin, showcasing its grand architecture and flags, with cloudy skies in the background.

The front of the Reichstag. A visit was on the top of my list. In 1989 the Berlin Wall was right next to the building; and since 1989 this area was completely developed. So we booked a visit to the dome. On this photo I left the dome out consciously. I wanted to have an image like the building looked in November 1989 below.

Black and white photograph of the Reichstag building in Berlin, taken in November 1989, featuring two men in the foreground, one holding a sign that reads 'Berlin ist Freiheit'. — Germany, Berlin – November 1989

The history of the Reichstag is connected to my hometown and Leiden. In 1933 Marinus van der Lubbe was accused, tried and sentenced by the Nazi-regime for setting fire to the building. He was born in Leiden en lived in Oegstgeest, as did his family.

About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version. The monochrome photo of 1989 was shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX.

Berlin: Charlie left in November 1989

Black and white photograph of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, featuring a crowd of people walking past a historic guard booth and a large image of a soldier on a building. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

A black and white photograph of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, featuring a large portrait of a soldier on a billboard. The scene includes people walking and a McDonald's in the background. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Checkpoint Charlie, symbol of the cold war.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Both Sides Of History – Berlin Brandenburger Tor

A black and white photo of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, framed by trees and streetlamps, with people walking beneath the iconic structure.

The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, surrounded by a section of the Berlin Wall covered in graffiti, with people and barriers in the foreground.

Black and white image of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, with a crowd of people gathered in front and historical architecture surrounding it. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Black and white photograph of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, featuring a crowd of people walking through and around the iconic structure on a cloudy day. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Brandenburger Gate (Brandenburger Tor) in Berlin was an iconic point at the time of the Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer). The gate then stood in no mans land, and showed the alienating effects of division through the city. Now the Brandenburger Gate is a symbol of unity of Berlin. It was a pleasure to walk through the gates, and enjoy the people and streets around it. And the see the gate back at its splendor.

About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.

The monochrome set of 1989 was shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX. The colorfilm was Fuji, and shot on Pentax Espio 115M. 2025 photos shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the pictures for a larger version.

Berlin November 1989

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #110 is ‘Creativity in a time of Covid’.

Looking back to our history we have known barriers and borders, preventing us to do what we wanted, or keeping us in. The Berlin Wall in November 1989, just before it ‘fell’.

About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.

Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Berlin Wall 30 years ago

On November 9 1989 the Berlin Wall opened. A few days later I happened to be in Berli n for a short holiday. The Wall was open. There was a an opening in the Potsdamer Platz. A long row of people was waiting in the big empty space. On the east side the atmosphere was still spooky and depressing. The Wall had opened, but the infrastructure that kept East-Germans inside was still there. The guards, the towers, the barb wire, the mines, the ‘no man’s land zone’, the spooky and unrealistic atmosphere of separation and repression. On the west side spirits were high; people were attacking The Wall to get memorabilia, tearing it down with hammers and chisels. There was the anticipation of change, everybody (including the press at the Brandenburger Tor) was waiting for The Big Opening. It was the principal press area for reporting from Berlin in those days. People selling t-shirts, buttons. Here an album of pictures of these days. Some I published earlier some are new. I will never forget how it felt to walk through East-Berlin which was still in its old state. In a way I am happy I did that, before it all disappeared. I am looking forward to a long weekend in Berlin to visit these places again and going to one of the most vibrant cities in the world.