UNESCO · Cultural · 1996

Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)

原爆ドームげんばくどーむGenbaku Dōmu

The ruin preserved as a warning against nuclear weapons

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, or Genbaku Dome, is the ruin of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, the structure that remained standing closest to the hypocentre of the first atomic bomb used in war, on 6 August 1945. Preserved in its damaged state, it was inscribed in 1996 as a symbol of the destructive power of nuclear weapons and of the hope for peace.

Inscribed 1996Criteria: viHiroshima

Overview

The building now known as the Genbaku (atomic bomb) Dome was designed by the Czech architect Jan Letzel and completed in 1915 as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall, a three-storey brick and concrete structure with a five-storey central section crowned by a copper-clad dome. It stood on the bank of the Motoyasu River in the heart of the city and was later renamed the Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.

At 8.15 a.m. on 6 August 1945 a United States aircraft dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It exploded about 600 m above the ground, almost directly over the hall. Everyone inside was killed, but because the blast struck largely from above, the central walls and the steel frame of the dome remained standing while the city around it was destroyed. An estimated 140,000 people had died by the end of 1945.

After the war the ruin was debated: some residents wanted it removed as a painful reminder, others saw it as a witness that should remain. In 1966 the Hiroshima City Council resolved to preserve it permanently, and it has since been stabilised in several campaigns without restoring its lost parts. The surrounding Peace Memorial Park, designed by Kenzo Tange, forms the buffer zone of the property.

Why it is World Heritage

The Genbaku Dome was inscribed under criterion (vi) alone, as a site directly associated with an event of universal significance. It is the stark and powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind, and it expresses the hope for world peace and for the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons.

The inscription is unusual in that the property's value lies not in architecture or art but in what happened to it. Its authenticity depends on keeping the ruin as it was after the bombing, which is why conservation work reinforces the remaining structure without rebuilding.

The decision was not unanimous in spirit: at the 1996 session the United States dissociated itself from the inscription, arguing that the war's historical context was not addressed, and China also expressed reservations. The listing nonetheless stands as the World Heritage List's principal memorial of nuclear war.

Component sites

Genbaku Dome
原爆ドームGenbaku Dōmu
The ruin of the Industrial Promotion Hall, with the skeletal steel frame of its dome and partly collapsed brick walls; the only element of the inscribed property.
Peace Memorial Park
平和記念公園Heiwa Kinen Kōen
Park on the delta between the Motoyasu and Honkawa rivers, laid out after 1949 to plans by Kenzo Tange, aligned so that the Cenotaph frames the Dome. Part of the buffer zone.
Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims
原爆死没者慰霊碑Genbaku Shibotsusha Ireihi
Saddle-shaped monument sheltering the register of names of those who died from the bombing; its epitaph reads 'Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil'.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
広島平和記念資料館Hiroshima Heiwa Kinen Shiryōkan
Museum opened in 1955 documenting the bombing and its human consequences through artefacts, testimony and photographs; its main building is itself an Important Cultural Property.
Children's Peace Monument
原爆の子の像Genbaku no Ko no Zō
Memorial inspired by Sasaki Sadako, who died of leukaemia in 1955 after folding paper cranes; strings of cranes sent from around the world are displayed beside it.

History

1915
Completion of the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall designed by Jan Letzel.
1933
Renamed the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.
1945
On 6 August the atomic bomb explodes almost directly above the building; its shell survives.
1955
Opening of the Peace Memorial Museum in the new Peace Memorial Park.
1966
The City Council resolves to preserve the Dome permanently; the first conservation works follow in 1967.
1995
The Dome is designated a Historic Site under Japanese law, a precondition for nomination.
1996
Inscription on the World Heritage List.

Visiting

The Dome stands in central Hiroshima beside the Aioi Bridge, reached by tram from Hiroshima Station to the Genbaku Dome-mae stop in about 15 minutes.
The ruin itself is fenced and seen from outside; the Peace Memorial Park and Museum on the opposite bank complete a visit.
The Peace Memorial Ceremony is held in the park every year on 6 August, with a moment of silence at 8.15 a.m.; lanterns are floated on the river that evening.
Visitors are asked to behave with the quiet respect due to a memorial; the site is the resting place of many victims.

Frequently asked questions

Why did the Genbaku Dome survive the atomic bomb?

The bomb exploded almost directly above it, so the blast pressed down rather than sideways; parts of the thick brick walls and the dome's steel frame remained standing even though everyone inside was killed.

What was the building before 1945?

It was an exhibition hall for promoting Hiroshima Prefecture's products and industries, designed by the Czech architect Jan Letzel and opened in 1915.

Can you go inside the Genbaku Dome?

No. The ruin is fenced off for preservation and safety; it is viewed from the surrounding paths and the riverbank.

Why was the inscription controversial?

At the World Heritage Committee in 1996 the United States dissociated itself from the decision, citing the lack of historical context about the war, and China voiced reservations. Japan presented the Dome as a symbol for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Is the Peace Memorial Park part of the World Heritage Site?

The inscribed property is the Dome itself; the Peace Memorial Park forms its buffer zone and is protected as a Place of Scenic Beauty.

Sources

1.Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
2.日本の世界遺産一覧 (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁
3.広島平和記念資料館 (opens in a new tab) — 広島平和記念資料館
4.広島市公式ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 広島市