Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture and the largest city of the Chugoku Region, the western most region on Japan's main island of Honshu. It is home to about one million people.
On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was chosen by US armed forces as the first ever target of an atomic bomb employed over a populated area. As a result, 200,000 civilians lost their lives, and Hiroshima became a city firmly engaged in the promotion of peace.
Hiroshima's Peace Park including the memorial museum, and the island of Miyajima (literally: shrine island), located 40 minutes from the city center by train and ferry, are one of Japan’s most known landmarks in Japan.
The Peace Memorial Park was built to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and to promote a peaceful world. It is located in the area around the atomic explosion's epicenter, and houses the Peace Memorial Museum and many other a-bomb related monuments.
The Peace Memorial Museum graphically displays in many ways through documentation and various pictures the atomic bomb's horrible effects on the city and its inhabitants. A visit there is naturally depressing and makes you think about the dangers of the use of atomic arms. Audio guides are available in more than a dozen languages.
The Atomic Bomb Dome is one of the few buildings
around the explosion's epicenter that partially survived the blast. It’s the city's only remaining bomb damaged building. The former Industrial Promotion Hall is now an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Between the museum and the Atomic Bomb Dome
stands the Memorial Cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims. It contains a list of all the people who were killed by the explosion or died due to the bombing's long-term effects such as cancer caused by radiation.
The Statue of the A-Bomb Children and the Cenotaph for Korean Victims are some of many more monuments found in the park.
Websites about other countries:
English versions
German versions