LET THERE BE PEACE
Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. This park
is in the center of the city of Hiroshima, Japan. It marks the spot
where the first atomic bomb was dropped.
During World War II, Hiroshima was an important Japanese military base.
On the morning of August 6, 1945, three American planes appeared over
the city. One of them dropped a single atomic bomb that destroyed most
of the city. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on
Nagasaki. And on September 2, the war officially ended.
Hiroshima is now a busy, modern city. It’s been rebuilt by the
courageous Japanese people. But there are reminders of the terrible
tragedy of the atomic bombing. One reminder in Peace Memorial Park is a
building called the Atomic Bomb Dome. The building stands on the banks
of the Ota River, as it did before the atomic bomb fell. But now it
stands in ruins. It was left there to remind everyone of the horrors of
atomic war.
Peace Memorial Park also has a special monument that contains a stone
chest with the names of those killed in the first atomic bombing.
The Atomic Bomb Dome can be seen through the monument in Peace Memorial
Park in Hiroshima, Japan.
