The Story of the Atomic Bomb Dome
The Atomic Bomb Dome, standing quietly on the bank of the Motoyasu River, is the remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, which was nearly directly under the atomic bomb that exploded at 8:15 am, August 6, 1945. The name Atomic Bomb Dome emerged due to the shape left at the top of the destroyed building.
- 1910: Hiroshima Prefecture decides to build a commercial exhibition hall to display and promote local products. It commissions the project to Czechoslovakian architect Jan Letzel (1880-1925).
- 1914: Construction begins on the bank of the Motoyasu River in Sarugaku-cho (now Otemachi 1-chome). Construction was completed and the building opened the following year. It was a modern, three-story brick building partially supported by reinforcing steel. The foundation covered 1023 square meters; the building stood 25 meters high. The exterior was stone and mortar, and the round tower covered by the oval roof was five stories high. This enormous European-style building became one of the best-known sights in Hiroshima. Local products were displayed and sold in the building, which was also used as a public exhibition hall and artgallery. Later, the name was changed to Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall, then the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. The building was a familiar part of daily life for Hiroshima residents for 30 years.
- August 6, 1945: A single atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, and from that time the building is preserved as a symbol of the damage wrought by that bomb. As the city recovers from war damage, the Atomic Bomb Dome becomes the focus of a controversy about whether to preserve or destroy it.
- 1966: The City Council adopts a resolution to preserve the Atomic Bomb Dome. A preservation fundraising campaign is launched; Hiroshima residents and people around Japan and the world donate a total of 66 million yen.
- 1967: The funds are used to implement the Atomic Bomb Dome preservation project.
- 1989: Twenty years after the first reinforcement, cracks appear in walls and corrosion on the steel supports. It is decided that another preservation project is required. A second preservation fundraising campaign is launched that gathers over 395 million yen. These funds are used for the second preservation project, and the surplus funds are placed in an Atomic Bomb Dome Preservation Fund. To this day, people around the country continue to donate funds to preserve the Dome.
- December 1996: Supported by the people of Hiroshima, who demanded that it be preserved in perpetuity, the Atomic Bomb Dome becomes a common heritage of the human race.
Inquiries regarding this site
Peace Promotion Division
International Peace Promotion Department
Tel: 082-242-7831 / Fax:082-242-7452
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