Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a large park in the center of Hiroshima , Japan dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to be Nuclear Bombed . There are a variety of monuments and buildings in the park, each dedicated to a different aspect of the bombing.

A-BOMB DOME

The A-Bomb Dome is the skeletal ruins of the former Industrial Promotion Hall. It is the building closest to the hypocenter of the Nuclear Bomb that remained at least partially standing. It was left how it was after the bomb in memory of the bombing. It is probably the most well-known symbol of the park.

STATUE OF THE A-BOMB CHILDREN

This is a statue dedicated to the memory of the children who died as a result of the bombing. The statue is of a girl with outstretched arms with a crane rising above her. The statue is based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki , a young girl who died from radiation from the bomb. She believed that if she folded 1,000 paper cranes she would be cured. To this day, people (mostly children) from around the world fold cranes and send them to Hiroshima where they are placed near the statue. The statue has a continuously replenished collection of folded cranes nearby. The millions of cranes are assembled into long strings or into collages making up pictures, often presenting an inspiring message of peace and world fellowship. After display, the cranes are pulped and recycled into bookmarks, notebooks and other souvenirs which are sold in the Rest House nearby.

ATOMIC BOMB MEMORIAL MOUND

The Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound is a large, grass-covered knoll that contains the ashes of 70,000 unidentified victims of the bomb.

CENOTAPH FOR KOREAN VICTIMS

Nearly 20,000 Koreans were killed by the bomb that fell on Hiroshima. The Koreans were in Japan as forced laborers. The monument reads, ''"The Korean victims were given no funerals or memorial services and their spirits hovered for years unable to pass on to heaven."'' The Cenotaph was originally dedicated in 1970, but prejudice that remained between the Japanese and Koreans kept the Cenotaph outside the Memorial Park until 1999, when the then mayor of Hiroshima allowed it back into the park.

MEMORIAL CENOTAPH

Near the center of the park is a concrete, saddle-shaped monument that covers a Cenotaph holding the names of all of the people killed by the bomb. The Cenotaph carries the epitaph, "Repose ye in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated." Through the monument you can see the Peace Flame and the A-Bomb Dome.

PEACE FLAME

The Peace Flame is another monument to the victims of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, but it has an additional purpose. The flame will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed and the planet is free from the threat of nuclear annihilation.

PEACE BELL

The Peace Bell stands near the memorial to the A-Bomb Children and consists of a large Japanese bell hanging inside a small open-sided structure. Visitors are encouraged to ring the bell for world peace and the loud and melodious tolling of this bell rings out regularly throughout the Peace Park.

HIROSHIMA NATIONAL PEACE MEMORIAL HALL FOR THE ATOMIC BOMB VICTIMS

The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall is an effort by the Japanese national government to remember and mourn the sacred sacrifice of the atomic bomb victims. It is also an expression of Japan's desire for genuine and lasting peace. The Hall contains a number of displays. On the roof, near the entrance (the museum is underground) is a clock frozen at 8:15, the time the bomb went off. The museum contains a seminar room, library, temporary exhibition area, and victims' information area. Additionally, one of the more stunning areas is The Hall of Remembrance which contains a a 360 degree panorama of the destroyed Hiroshima recreated using 140,000 tiles - the number of people estimated to have died from the bomb by the end of 1945.

HIROSHIMA PEACE MEMORIAL MUSUEM

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is the primary museum in the park dedicated to educating visitors about the bomb. The Museum has exhibits and information covering the build up to war, the role of Hiroshima in the war up to the bombing, and extensive information on the bombing and its effects, along with substantial memorabilia and pictures from the bombing. The building also offers some marvelous views of the Memorial Cenotaph, Peace Flame, and A-Bomb Dome.

PEACE GATES

A recent addition to the park, this monument contains six gates covered with the word peace in numerous languages from around the world. The gates are about 5 meters high and 2 meters wide.

SEE ALSO

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

EXTERNAL LINKS

Official page

Information About

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park