asisi Panorama “The Wall”
360-degree view of divided Berlin in the 1980s
In a rotunda right at Checkpoint Charlie, artist Yadegar Asisi shows a panorama of divided Berlin on a fictional autumn day in the 1980s. You stand in Kreuzberg and look over the Wall into East Berlin.
The panorama is 15 metres high and 60 metres long, with sound and changing light for day and night. It shows no drama, just everyday life: backyards, dog walkers, graffiti on the western side, the empty strip behind it. That is exactly what makes it so striking, especially for visitors who did not experience the division.
A platform in the middle raises you several metres so you can see over the Wall. 30 to 45 minutes are enough. Photos and texts in the entrance area explain how it was made from Asisi’s own photographs of the 1980s.
The panorama is right at the junction of Friedrichstraße and Zimmerstraße, about five minutes east of us.
Our tip
After the panorama walk back to us along Zimmerstraße: the street you just saw in the picture is the same one.
Opening hours and prices change; current details are on the official website.
Frequently asked
How long does a visit to the asisi Panorama take?
About 30 to 45 minutes. The rotunda is right at Checkpoint Charlie, Friedrichstraße 205.
Also nearby
- right next door
Weltballon (World Balloon)
Tethered balloon, 150 metres above Berlin
The Weltballon is the big white tethered balloon you can see from half of Berlin. It takes off at the corner of Zimmerstraße and Wilhelmstraße, right next to our café.
Read more - approx. 5 min walk
Checkpoint Charlie
The most famous crossing point of the Wall
From 1961 to 1990 Checkpoint Charlie was the crossing point for foreigners, diplomats and Allied soldiers between East and West Berlin. Today a replica of the guard house stands on Friedrichstraße, with the famous sign “You are leaving the American sector”.
Read more - approx. 5 min walk
Topography of Terror
Documentation centre on the former Gestapo and SS site
Between Niederkirchnerstraße and Wilhelmstraße stood, until 1945, the headquarters of the Gestapo, the SS and the Reich Security Main Office. Today a documentation centre with open-air grounds tells the story of the perpetrators of National Socialism. Admission is free.
Read more - approx. 5 min walk
Trabi Museum
The car of East Germany, up close
The Trabi Museum on Zimmerstraße shows the Trabant in all its versions: saloon, estate, open “Kübel”, racing version and conversions. Plus original adverts, brochures and stories about waiting years for your own car.
Read more
Coffee before, cake after
Typisch Berlin, Wilhelmstraße 42, right at the Weltballon. Daily from 09:00, two floors, Wi-Fi, toilets, terrace. Berliner from €2.20.
