Genbaku Dome
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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 |
| 1996 | Inscribed | Reasons for inscription |
| 1996 | Deferred | Bureau - needs special debate at next Bureau meeting |
Visit May 2000
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.
Have you been to Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)
? Share your experiences!
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.
Reviews
Robert Ramsdell (USA):
I was at Hiroshima in early 1952. I had gone to a supply specialist school on Eta Jima and had taken the ferry to Hiroshima on 3 different weekends. I have many pictures and remembrances of these trips. One I especially remember is a man coming up to me on the main street, turning around and showing me his back that was horribly burnt. He then turned back to me and showed me an old LIFE magazine photo of him with burnt skin hanging in shreds. Then, he handed me a card which read "K. K. Kikura - Number One Atom Bomb Sufferer" and wanted to sell me an autographed card. A friend of mine who was second in command of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, under Dr. Teller, told me that I may have gotten enough radiation in those all day visits to make it impossible for me to have children and we finally after 10 years of marriage, adopted a boy who is now 40 years old.
Robert Ramsdell, Albany, Oregon Date posted: December 2009 Aaron Epstein (USA, (Fresno, CA.)):
As an Army brat (living in Kobe, Japan, 1950-52, and attending Osaka American High school) we went on a basket ball trip to Eta Jima. On returning we stopped at Hiroshima for a 2 hour lay-over and visited the A-site (the Genbaku Dome) which was in total rubble at its base and some of the structure still remaining. The remainder of the city appeared level except for a few make-shift shacks standing. I met an elderly (in his late 30s or early 40's) Japanese gentleman who spoke and wrote perfect English by the name of Rev. S.T. Katsuki (this is 1951) who stated he was the Chief Priest of Sairenji Temple. He presented me with one of the ceramic tiles from this building revealing the blast discoloration from the bomb on the exposed portion of the tile, totally black. I still have this Atomic exposed tile in my possession. He then took off his shirt and showed me his back which was all in scared tissue. Because of the radiation, his time was limited. I'm able to send a photo of the Atomic struck tile by internet to those interested. While working for Nitto Denko America (Japanese Semiconductor Molding Compound Manufacture) in 1986, I has the privalege of visiting Nagasaki's Atomic bomb site. In 1953, while attending Northern Arizona University, a group of us drove to Navada and observed an Atomic bomb explosion. We were 24 miles from the explosion site and felt the blase of wind. As an analytical chemist in 1958 at Tuba City, Arizona I analyzed uranium ore from the Grand Canyon for process control in the production of "yello-cake". Now I'm wondering what's my next trip with the ATOM. Date posted: May 2009 Marcus Brainard (USA):
The Peace Dome Building was built by a Eastern Europian in 1915 & served as a industrial & promotional hall. And it survived the wrath of The Big Blast. Today it serves a reminder of what happens when you mess with the wrong group.
Some say there wouldn't have been Hiroshima if there wasn't a Pearl Harbor & for some it's Even Steven at it's best. However I do like to see in person and photograph the building in every angle & also photograph the model before August 6, 1945. It's a impressive building. By the way, my birthdate is August 6, 1955.
Marcus Brainard Date posted: January 2009 Steve Cox (England):
I visted the Hiroshima Peace Park in May 2008. The A-Bomb dome itself is an incredible building, thinking back to those days and what happened at the site makes you really think about how we treat each other. The Museum itself casts no accusations, gives no blame, it just states the facts while I feel if the situation was reversed I think some in the west might struggle to do especially when you consider the reason given for dropping the bomb on Japan rather than Germany (if the bomb failed Germany might be able to reverse engineer it, Japan would not) I spent an entire day in the park and it didn't feel like enough time. From the man collecting the paper cranes every day at Sadako Suzaki's memorial to the line that runs from the middle of the Museum, past the Peace Memorial to the A-Bomb dome this really is a place that makes you think about life. I can't recommend it highly enough not as a place to go and gawp, but a place to go and really think. Date posted: September 2008 kyanah (Australia):
I whent to Genbaku dome & the Peace park when i was 9, we were on a family holiday, the experance opend my eyes on the whole wars thing. While i was there i lernt to make papper crains, and when i got home i tried to teach my class how to make them so we could make a thousand paper crains to send to the peace park!! I'm still working on it 3 years later!!
I'm doing a goeography assiment about world herriage sites & i chose Hiroshima Peace Minorial (Genbaku Dome) for it, having witnessed it & all the suffering.
I've read a book about this devistating event in a chineese point of veiw, it is verry diffrent... but i think the bottom line is this
The wars were dredful, My heart is out to all hows family members, Friends were lost in the war & THAT WARS NEED TO BE STOPPED Date posted: September 2008 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 ():
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... ():
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.
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)
- Country: Japan
- Year: 1996
-
Cultural Heritage
Criteria: (6) - Category: Secular structure, Memorial / Monument
- Connections:
Built in the 20th century . Controversial at inscription . Damaged in World War II . Historical events . Thanatourist destination .
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