Hiroshima · Naka-ku · Japan

Genbaku Dōmu

Atomic Bomb Dome

HistoricCulture photo spotgoogle verified

easy

10/10

best: night

contemplative, spiritual

A local would say...

The bomb exploded almost directly above this building; everyone inside died, yet its shell survived to become the world's most powerful anti-nuclear symbol.

The skeletal shell of the former Industrial Promotion Hall stands as the starkest reminder of August 6, 1945, when the atomic bomb exploded almost directly above it. Built by a Czech architect in 1915, everyone inside was killed, yet the building was one of the very few left standing near the epicentre. The decision to preserve this ruin as a memorial was controversial but profoundly right. Return at night when the crowds have gone and the propped-up remains are floodlit against the dark sky, and the silence becomes almost unbearable.

Added by Kenji Nakamura