Peace Memorial in Hiroshima
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial serves as a reminder that in August 1945, the United States launched a nuclear attack on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, dropping atomic bombs on them. Hiroshima was chosen specifically - high population density, flammable wooden houses, located on a plain among the mountains. The strike on it was supposed to bring the maximum number of casualties and destruction. As a result of a nuclear explosion of a 4-ton bomb, the city was wiped off the face of the earth, leaving only ashes and shadows of dead people on the surviving walls of buildings.
History of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial
All clocks in Hiroshima stopped at 8:15 - the time of the nuclear attack. Up to 100 thousand people died immediately. Tens of thousands died from the consequences of the nuclear bombing. According to 2014 data, a total of 293 thousand people died. There was no water in the city, so there was nothing to put out the fires, and people were dying of thirst. Until now, city residents treat water with care. During the annual commemorative ceremony, the Kensui ritual ceremony - the offering of water - is performed. In memory of the tragedy, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial was created, serving as a silent reproach and warning to all humanity.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial includes the former Chamber of Commerce Exhibition Center. The center's building was designed by architect Jan Letzel in 1915. It was made in a style common in Europe, but unconventional and new for the Japanese. It was a three-story building topped with a giant dome.
Features of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial
The explosion occurred 160 meters from the exhibition center. Everyone who was in it died. The building itself was significantly destroyed and burned. The dome survived, but was significantly damaged. Now it is called "Genbaku Domu" - "Atomic Dome". It was strengthened to avoid collapse, but was not restored. Today it is the most famous object of the memorial complex. The building stands on the banks of the Ota in the historical center and occupies more than 1000 sq. m. m. Nearby, on the opposite side of the river, on a small island there is a Peace Memorial Park. During a nuclear attack, the island was at the epicenter of the explosion. The park contains sculptures and monuments, a Memorial Museum, a ceremonial bell, a Children's Peace Monument and a cenotaph - this is the name of the common tombstone for victims of a nuclear explosion.
In the high school curriculum for Japanese schoolchildren, a mandatory introduction to the Atomic Bell has been introduced so that they can see the terrible consequences of ill-considered actions. Despite protests from representatives of the United States and China, in 1996, Genbaku Dome was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The international community has praised the Hiroshima Peace Memorial as the most important evidence of the extremely negative consequences of the use of nuclear weapons.
