Genbaku Dome

Genbaku Dome
The US and China had their doubts about the inscription. The representative of the US spoke of a : "... lack of historical perspective, and protested against this and future inscription of war sites." His Chinese colleague stated that: "it was the other Asian countries and peoples who suffered the greatest loss in life and property during World War II, and that this inscription might be misused by people who deny this fact."

Before the bomb, the building was a industrial promotion site. After the bomb it was one of the few buildings in the center of the city that survived, although the inside totally lies in ruins.

The park that now surrounds this monument has various other smaller monuments, to honor special groups of victims. There is also a museum where you can see the effects of the bomb on humans and artefacts.

Year Decision Comments
1996DeferredBureau - needs special debate at next Bureau meeting
1996 Inscribed Reasons for inscription



Visit May 2000

The museum in the Park tells the story about the bomb on Hiroshima, but also about all the nuclear tests that were executed after that. I found this, and the rest of the Park, very impressive and tasteful.

Hiroshima itself is of course a very modern city, but I liked it a lot. It has a lot to offer, for example ... another Worldheritage! The Itsukushima Shrine is situated on an island in front of Hiroshima-City.

Reviews

George Whang (USA):
Go to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park with an open mind and witness the destructive power unleashed at the dawn of the nuclear age. Remember that the world is now a perilous place with nuclear weapons a hundred fold more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. My 13 year old daughter and I visited Genbaku Dome and the Park on 8/6/08 and left with a sense of foreboding and also one of hope; sadness at the thought of the many children who perished; wonder and amazement of the people of Hiroshima who have transformed this city in a little over two generations. For many from all the nations involved, the war will never be completely over for the pain is great. But it is up to us, the generation of the here and now, to forgive and to make sure this kind of war never happens again.
Date posted: August 2008
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I visited Genbaku Domu just this last week and I had wanted to visit it for sometime. I first saw it at night when the "inside" is lit up and it was indeed very depressing and scary. I had a chill go down my spine when I passed though the modern bulidings and suddenly saw this small place. I am an American living in Japan, and I did not feel any animosity toward myself or the people in my group because we were American. In fact, I think many Japanese would find it respectful to see an American there.
The museum itself, yes, does ignore what the Japanese did to Pearl Harbor and other countries during WWII, but the main focus of the museum is how horrible Nuclear War is and what it can do in the future...that is what should be kept in mind when you visit here...
 
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i'VE been to the hiroshima peace mamorilal and it is a very sad place and saw the mamorial and the aboma dome and it is hard to see aswell as the grave of all the names
 
Shamima Islam (Bangladesh):
I returned from Hiroshima yesterday (6th august 2006). It was my childhood dream to see Hiroshima cos' we had a topic about Hiroshima in our text book .Gembaku dome's photo was there too . They only thing that had created deep impact in my mind when I was a elementary school student is that ,America dropped atomic bomb on that city and killed most of the people . After so many years ,when I visited the A-bomb dome and the peace memorial park , I couldn't stop crying . Seeing all those artifacts ,I only thought that how cruel the decision makers were !! I saw couple of American's there too .I was trying to see their facial expression ,are they seem to be repentent or ashamed for their forefather's cruel decision ? To stop war immediately by killing thousands of people was not a good idea indeed . Another thing knocked me that was Japan hides its brutality ,it never says what they do to their neighbours . The museum told about Japanese citizens who were killed by A-bomb .The museum's history has little or no place for the Korean slaves who were forced to come to Japan . The museum didn't tell the whole history rather than a part that is looking for sympathy .Yes ,surely it can melt somebody like me who's memory consisted of only one picture .But truth should be revealed ,history should be completed .
Date posted: September 2006
Judy ():
I visited the Dome in 2002 with my WWII-veteran father. It was most upsetting to see the slant the museum takes on the war, but the most disturbing part was a petition that was set up in front of the dome for the US to pay reparations to the families of the "victims of the bomb." Of course, nothing was said about paying the families of the Pearl Harbor attack or the families of the Korean slaves or any other group the Japanese attacked! America's decision to drop the bomb, it is estimated, saved over a million lives - on both sides - since the next step in the war would have been an attack on Tokyo. Please be sure to learn the history of WWII before coming here, especially those too young to even have grandparents still alive that were involved in the war, because you will not see it accurately presented at this site!
Date posted: June 2006
-------- (USA):
I`ve been to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial a couple of times before in my life. What I noticed was that war isn`t the answer. It won`t do anything but harm the innocent ones. Of course, Japan was not fair but the bomb the American`s dropped was unimaginative and it had brought destruction. I`m a Japanese-American and I love and support both Japan and America very much. I`m very happy that now, we have friendship and trust. I`m twelve and I`ve only been to the Peace Memorial when I was little so I hope to go this year to find more about it.
Date posted: July 2005
A. O`Riordan (US):
I`ve been to the dome numerous times, both in site seeing and simply passing through. The best@time however was during the late afternoon...when I saw a cat run into the ruins...and then a stork perched in the window... It was a very poetic site. The rest of the time, the dome is a bit of an uncomfortable place, especially for an American, though most of the Japanese are very polite about it. One time a woman, part of a certain sect of Buddhism that believes in something akin to faith healing, asked me and mine to participate in a `prayer`...and there was no malice in it. Simply a desire for purification and understanding.
The museum is a another story...
Date posted: July 2005
Rob Wilson (UK):
Hiroshima is one of the most evocative places I have ever visited. The hardest thing with Hiroshima is separating right and wrong. At times, the museum glosses over Japan crimes in WWII - as is true through-out the whole country.
Whatever the other arguements the site is incredibly moving and a compelling arguement against nuclear weapons.
But, I would ask all visitors to say an extra pray at the monument for the Korean victims of the bomb. These people, slave labourers transported from Korea, have been ignored by Japan for far too long - the Governments lack of apology on this matter is inexcusible.
The final thing that I must add about Hiroshima is that the people of the city lift the spirit beyond belief. It is, perhaps, Japans most friendly city.
 
Joseph Holt (USA (Stationed in Japan)):
Well I just returned from the city of Hiroshima the weekend of June 19-20. Beautiful city, the buildings left reminaing or a site to see as well as the "A" Dome in its original state. War is war proven through centuries of history. The dome is a reminder of what weapons of mass destruction can do yet I felt the museuem was hippocritical and looking for sympathy instead of educating. Taking facts and bending them too much and having 90 percent of the artifacts of that belonging to children. Seems that the City forgot what the country did in Nanking, Singapore, Hong Kong, Pearl Harbor, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the list will always continue... And what it would have took to end the war in the Pacific. This place willl leave the ignorant in history take it for what it is and not what it should be.
 
Kelsey Moore (United States):
I haven't been to the Genbaku Dome yet, but hope to go soon. My high school math class is creating a to-scale replica of the Genbaku Dome as a project with the aid of several Japenese agencies and we thank them all for it! As I look over pictures and read documentaries about what happened I am sickened by what we have become and what we will do. It is scary to think anyone with a heart could have done the horrible deed that brought death and destruction to so many. I really hope that humanity can right itself and things like this never happen again as they should never have happened in the first place.

*let those that have passed rest in peace*
 
medardo vega (honduras):
i had the chance to see the genbaku dome in the year 2000' its something interesting. the only structure leftstanding in the area where the first tomic bomb exploded on august 6,1945. It is amazing how that building has a lot of meaning to the citizens from hiroshima, it attracts people from everywere, including my country, Honduras.
 


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