Peace Memorial Park
Peace Memorial Park
National Place of Scenic Beauty
Peace Memorial Park was established to comfort the souls of the victims of the atomic bombing and to pray for everlasting world peace.
Having decided to develop a commemorative park as a peace memorial facility in accordance with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law of 1949, the city selected the design by the Kenzo Tange group from 145 proposals submitted in a design competition. Construction began in 1950 and was completed in 1954.
The view along the central axis, from Peace Boulevard at the southern tip of the park, up through the spaces between the pillars of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the arch of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, through to the A-bomb Dome, is itself a prayer for the souls of the victims of the atomic bombing and a wish for everlasting world peace. Visitors immediately sense the intention of the structure and the superior spatial design, through which Tange attempts to connect the act of seeing with that of praying for the A-bomb victims.
The exceptional natural scenery of Peace Memorial Park and its environs is of great artistic, aesthetic and historical value as a symbolic place of prayer for the A-bomb victims and for peace. It was designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty on February 6, 2007.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
National Important Cultural Property
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was designed by Kenzo Tange. Construction began in 1951, and the museum opened on August 24, 1955.
The museum, one of the peace memorial facilities conceived in accordance with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law, prominently displays such architectural features as the form of the pillars and the design of the louvers. The museum was the first postwar building to receive widespread international acclaim and launched the career of Kenzo Tange. It was designated a National Important Cultural Property on July 5, 2006.
Submitted by
Bryan Arnold
@nanowhiskers