Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

If you want to juxtapose your emotions, visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. It offers a feeling of melancholic gloom for the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima contrasted against a sense of comforting happiness to see present day Hiroshima a bustling and vibrant city literally risen from the ashes.

Hiroshima is the first city in history subjected to nuclear warfare when the nuclear weapon ‘Little Boy’ was dropped on the city by the B-29 bomber Enola Gay on August 6, 1945 during World War II. The city was destroyed and an estimated 80,000 people were directly killed by the bomb.

Following are some of the monuments and memorials found in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park:

A-Bomb Dome

The A-Bomb Dome, almost the hypocenter of the atomic bomb blast, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The uranium bomb detonated almost directly above this building. Surprisingly, the skeletal remains are one of only a few buildings to survive the blast.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, commonly called the Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome

Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound

A grassy knoll that contains the ashes of 70,000 unidentifed victims of the bomb.

Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound

Children’s Peace Monument

A statue dedicated to the memory of the children who died as a result of the bombing. Inspired by the true story of Sadako Sasaki , a young girl who died from radiation from the bomb, who believed that if she folded 1,000 paper cranes she would be cured. Unfortunately she never reached her goal and, to this day, children from around the world fold cranes and send them to Hiroshima where they are placed at this monument.

Children's Peace Monument

The Peace Flame

Burned continuously since it was lit in 1964, it is said that it will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed.

The Peace Flame

Memorial Cenotaph

Representing a shelter for the souls of the victims the cenotaph holds the names of all of the people killed by the bomb. The Peace Flame and A-Bomb Dome can be seen through this monument.

Memorial Cenotaph

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

Dedicated to educating visitors about the bomb, the following two images had a long-standing effect showing the contrast of the city of Hiroshima before and after destruction.

Hiroshima Before Destruction

Hiroshima After Destruction

Check out some further photos over at Neil Duckett’s site.