JAPAN - Hiroshima : Genbaku Dome

JAPAN stamps





Location of HIROSHIMA in JAPAN

Hiroshima (広島市, Hiroshima-shi) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It became the first city in history destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States of America dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15am on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II. Hiroshima gained municipality status on April 1, 1889, and on April 1, 1980, became a designated city.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, commonly called the Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム, Genbaku Dōmu), in Hiroshima, Japan, is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The building serves as a memorial to the people who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

The building was originally designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel and was completed in April 1915.


HISTORY : ATOMIC BOMBING

Having slightly missed the original target (the distinctive "T"-shaped Aioi Bridge), at 8:15 on August 6, 1945 the first nuclear bomb to be used in war detonated almost directly above the dome (the actual center of the blast was 150 m away and 600 m above ground).

The Genbaku Dome was originally scheduled to be demolished with the rest of the ruins, but the fact that it was mostly intact delayed these plans. As Hiroshima was rebuilt around the dome, it became a subject of controversy ; some locals wanted it torn down, while others wanted to preserve it as a memorial of the bombing.

In 1966 Hiroshima City declared to preserve the now termed "A-bomb Dome" indefinitely. Funds were sought locally and internationally. To date, the A-bomb Dome has undergone two preservation projects.

UNESCO World Heritage Site :
HIROSHIMA PEACE MEMORIAL (Genbaku Dome)

Date of inscription : 1996

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. Through the efforts of many people, including those of the city of Hiroshima, it has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing. Not only is it a stark and powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind ; it also expresses the hope for world peace and the ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons.

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Postcard sent by Masayo, as "MASAYO"
Private swap - Reference JP008

Genbaku Dome, Hiroshima, World Heritage