Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome

After visiting the Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum, there was one more place for me to go in Hiroshima, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, more commonly known as the Atomic Bomb Dome. On other pages on this site I've added pictures and details of the Peace Memorial Museum and the Peace Memorial Park. However, this page is dedicated to the A-bomb Dome, or the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall as it was known before 6th August 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped.

On this page are photos that I took of the Atomic Bomb Dome. Most of the photos don't require an explanation but where I think one is neccessary, or where I have a particular comment to make, I've included one.

I visited Hiroshima at the end of March 2010, so the blooming cherry blossoms of the Peace Memorial Park made the ideal contrast for the devastated Atomic Bomb Dome.

The A-bomb Dome is surrounded by several stones and monuments. Unfortunately, my Japanese reading skills weren't good enough to be able to work out what they all symbolised.

Though it was pouring with rain on the day that I went to photograph the A-bomb Dome, I still managed to get some good shots of the building.

The Atomic Bomb Dome did a good job of withstanding the blast in 1945 but it now needs the help of a lot of extra support structure in order to remain standing.

Here you can see some of the extra support beams required to keep the building upright.

I made a special point of returning to the Atomic Bomb Dome at night as I wanted to see it illuminated. Despite the continuing rain, I wasn't disappointed.

The building was lit up with a combination of green (or what appeared to be green) exterior lights and orange interior lights that gave it a somewhat eerie feel and made it look like it was on fire. Perhaps that was the idea?

The orange interior lights shone right up the central tower, bathing the bare metal structure of the dome in a warm glow.

The Hiroshima Peace Monument, Atomic Bomb Dome, A-bomb Dome, or whatever you wish to call it, is a striking building. When you consider what it withstood and also the sad fact that many people must have died within its walls or in the streets around it, you can understand how symbolic it is. In the UK, we have our fair share of castles and other medieval ruins but they're all typical of their time. The Atomic Bomb Dome is unique as it's the only building still standing that was within metres of the hypocentre of an atomic blast. Not only that, but its a survivor of one of only two nuclear weapons ever used in anger. When you look at the photos of the devastation that surrounded it in Hiroshima after the atomic blast, you can understand what a miracle it is that we can still view this building today and that it can still stand as a warning to others about the perils of nuclear weapons.

For more details and photos of Hiroshima, please visit my pages on the Peace Memorial Museum and the Peace Memorial Park.