The Hiroshima Peace Memorial park is a park in central Hiroshima dedicated to the memories of the victims of the first nuclear attack on August 6th 1945 at the end of WW II. The park is a place for prayer for the victims and for permanent world peace and has memorials, museums, monuments and lecture halls .
Created in an open field caused by the explosion in what was once a busy part of Hiroshima, it stands testimony to the horrors of nuclear war.
The Genbaku dome or the A Bomb Dome and the cenotaph to the victims lies right ahead of us as we enter the park
The park is used as a venue for antiwar and antinuclear protests.
The Peace park with the A Bomb dome and the arch shaped cenotaph in front
A Bomb Dome
The A Bomb Dome is what remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. a building that . Originally an exhibition hall built in 1915 with a distinctive dome and used for art and other exhibitions, it was closest to the site of the explosion . It is also called the Genbaku dome and is a UNESCO world heritage site.
It was so designated for its status as a symbol of the first use of nuclear arms on a human population, its survival after such a destructive force and as a symbol of hope for world peace and ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons.
Retained in a state of ruin, it is a memorial to the more than 1,40,000 people killed in the bombing.
The A Bomb Dome
Hiroshima became a target of the bombing as it was a prominent port and one of the headquarters of the Japanese army with over 40,000 military personnel. The bomb was intended to hit the Aioi Bridge but fell on a hospital close to the dome. Everyone inside was killed instantly.
This building kept its shape and parts of its wall collapsed. It probably withstood the force as it was built to be earthquake resistant.
The Peace Memorial park was built around this dome and the dome remains its primary landmark. It was decided to retain the dome as it was on the day of the explosion with only minor repairs to ensure its stability.
Today, the park and the dome are used as venues for anti war and anti nuclear weapon protests. An annual Peace Memorial ceremony is also held here.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
This museum is a modern building located within the peace park and houses exhibits of the history of the bombing and its aftermath. Photographs and personal items of the victims provide a grim reminder of the horrors of that tragedy.
A visit to the museum can be a very sombre experience.
Some pictures which tell the story more than my words….
A miniature of the city and the site of impact. (note the dome in the second picture)
A photograph of one of the victims
Damaged clothes and footwear
The partially collapsed chimney and the plaque explaining it
Spouts of a damaged fountain
Diary of one of the victims
The plaque on the right explains …..
As they say…the smallest coffins are the heaviest….the following picture of two children with their mangled tricycle was too much to take…!!!!
With a deep sense of sorrow and in deep thought we walked out of the museum to a plaque that read as follows…
This has been a rather sombre episode…
Let us hope for good sense to prevail and avoid such destruction at least in the years to come…
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