It has the notoriety of The Louvre, the diversity of The Met, the style of MoMA, and the history of The British Museum. Yet this gallery is free to all—you can even touch the art if you so desire! Don’t worry, there aren’t any security guards telling you to put your camera away, so no need to sneak that must have photo with your camera phone. And if you really feel compelled, you can even become part of the exhibit. Because this is no museum; it’s an entire city. Welcome to Berlin!

Berlin’s East Side Gallery

Since the Berlin Wall was breached in 1989, street artists have been coming to Berlin around the world to help place their creative stamp on this city of 3.4 million with an identity almost entirely formed in the last 25 years. From Banksy to Blu, just about anyone who’s anyone in the graffiti game has left their mark here—if only Basquiat had been alive in the 90’s. Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg are among the city’s artistically-dense spots, but make sure to check out the East Side Gallery as well—a stretch of the Berlin Wall that has been kept intact and turned into a living, breathing art gallery.

Whether you like paint, stickers, stencils, posters or even the occasional sculpture or space transformation, Berlin is a place you won’t want to miss. And if you want to add to the scene, even better—pack your paint and let’s go!

Stay tuned to this space for some gems that will be posted from Berlin periodically.

A warm feeling from the Paris streets to get your 2013 started right…

Let’s start the New Year healthy!