Atomic Bomb Dome

原爆ドーム

The only building left standing near the atomic bomb's hypocenter. Its stripped dome frame is the most direct witness to the nuclear disaster and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Atomic Bomb Dome was originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, a European-style brick building with a green copper dome, designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel in 1915. It stands on the banks of the Motoyasu River. At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb exploded about 160 meters to its southeast and roughly 600 meters above it. The building lay almost directly beneath the blast, and the shock wave came straight down. Remarkably, the brick walls and steel dome frame did not collapse completely, but everyone inside was killed instantly. After the war, Hiroshima residents debated for years whether to preserve or demolish the ruin. In 1966 the city decided to preserve it permanently, and in 1996 it was inscribed as the 'Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)' on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It has since become a global symbol of the call to abolish nuclear weapons. The building itself is closed to visitors, so you view it from behind the fence surrounding it. From every angle you can see the exposed steel-reinforced dome, the shattered brick walls, and scattered stone fragments. Multilingual information boards and before-and-after photos of the bombing are nearby. The view changes depending on whether you look from Genbaku Bridge (Motoyasu Bridge), from the Peace Memorial Park across the river, or from Aioi Bridge, the T-shaped bridge that was the bomb's aiming point. The atmosphere is especially quiet at dusk and under the evening lights. The dome is free to see and open all day. Volunteers often give free explanations in English nearby, and there are regular talks by descendants of atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha). Getting there: Get off at the Genbaku Dome-mae stop on the Hiroshima streetcar line. It is about 15 minutes by tram from Hiroshima Station. It sits in the heart of central Hiroshima, in a straight line with the Peace Memorial Park and the Museum. Allow about 30 minutes to see the dome, and plan 2 to 3 hours to visit it together with the Peace Park and the Museum. Please keep your voice down and do not climb the fence. Other atomic bomb sites within a five-minute walk include Fukuromachi Elementary School, the Honkawa Elementary School Peace Museum, and the hypocenter memorial stone at Shima Hospital. You can also take a 'Ganki Ferry' river boat on the Motoyasu River, or a fast ferry to Miyajima.

Atomic Bomb Dome

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