Sightseeing at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome Memorial

This year, Natascha went out to find the exact place where the world’s first atomic bomb (except for the test bomb) exploded on 6 August 1945. We have both been to Hiroshima several times and have visited the memorial monuments in the Peace Park. The park encompasses the area of the former city centre that was completely destroyed by the atomic bomb. But the actual hypocenter of the atomic bomb does not lie within the Peace Park. No signs show the way and it is not a place many tourists visit. It is somewhat to the east of the easily recognizable T-shaped bridge connecting the tip of an island in the river with the two river banks. This bridge was the official aim for the pilot Paul Tibbets, who dropped the bomb over the city of Hiroshima.

6th of August 1945

Hiroshima Epicentre of the Atomic Bomb

A small sign next to a dentist’s office proclaims that this is the spot where the uranium bomb called “Little Boy” exploded in a height of 600 m. At that time, this was above the administrative and commercial centre of Hiroshima. It was the first military use of an atomic bomb ever, and killed approximately 70,000 people on the spot. The after-effects of burnings and radiation killed even more.

The blast completely destroyed most of the buildings, so there’s little left below the point of the detonation. The only building left at least partly standing in the immediate vicinity was a domed, multi-storeyed industrial exhibition hall which soon became called “atomic bomb dome” (genbaku dômu) and became a symbol and memorial of the nuclear destruction.

More than 300 000 victims

The northern part of the nearby river island – which was turned into a wasteland by the explosion – was made into a memorial park in the 1950s. This Peace Memorial Park combins dozens of memorials for different groups of victims with a museum complex. In the middle of the park stands a cenotaph, a symbolic, empty grave commemorating all those who died in the atomic bombing and its aftermath. This number, which includes everyone who was affected by the nuclear explosion and has meanwhile died, has climbed to a total of over 300,000.

Hiroshima cenotaph in the Peace Park

For years after the nuclear bombing, the US authorities denied journalists access to the area, suppressed all publications about the effects and rejected all moral responsibility for the damages caused by the bomb. On 11 April 2016, US Foreign Minister John Kerry was the highest-ranking American politician ever to visit the memorial. Along with other foreign ministers attending the G7 ministerial meeting, he laid a wreath at the foot of the cenotaph. This monument is a saddle-shaped stone memorial reminiscent of grave goods in ancient Japanese tombs. It is furthermore arranged in one axis with the “atomic bomb dome”.

The Peace Memorial Park became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1996.

Is the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima worth visiting?

A visit to the peace memorial is a gripping experience. It is definitely thought-provoking. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park also offers a lot of information about a major historical event that few people now are old enough to remember. And nevertheless, the bomb is still relevant and perhaps more than ever! Today there are about 15,000 nuclear weapons around, most of them far more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.

On the other hand, getting up close with the history and the effects of the atomic bomb can be disturbing. Especially the museum has a lot of photographs and exhibits that are difficult to digest.

How to get to the Peace Memorial Park

The peace memorial park is in the centre of the modern city of Hiroshima. You will need about half a day to see the monuments in the park and the museum.

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