Background
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Genbaku Dome, was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. UNESCO says it has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing: a stark symbol of the most destructive force ever created, and an expression of the hope for world peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The building was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, designed by the Czech architect Jan Letzel and opened in 1915. The bomb exploded almost directly above it, so its walls stood while the dome shattered. The ruin is a memorial to the more than 140,000 people killed, inside the Peace Memorial Park with its museum and more than fifty memorials.
- 1589Hiroshima is founded on the Ota delta
- 1915Jan Letzel's exhibition hall opens
- 1945The atomic bomb explodes above the building on 6 August
- 1996Inscribed as World Heritage
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1A-Bomb DomeThe skeletal dome across the river from the park; the GoGo guide returns at night when it is lit.
- 2Peace Memorial MuseumThe museum in the park; allow two and a half hours.
- 3Peace Memorial ParkMore than fifty memorials and statues, free and open at night.
- 4Aioi BridgeThe T-shaped bridge thought to have been the bomb's target.
- 5Orizuru TowerA rooftop view of the dome and a wall of paper cranes.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
Peace Park and the City
From the GoGo Hiroshima guide · Open the Hiroshima Guide ›
- 08:30Atomic Bomb Dome30 minThe preserved ruin.
- 09:15Peace Memorial Museum2.5 hrsThe museum in the park.
- 13:00Hiroshima Okonomiyaki1 hrFloors of okonomiyaki stalls at Okonomimura.
- 17:00Orizuru Tower1 hrRooftop view of the dome.
- 20:00A-Bomb Dome at Night45 minThe Flame of Peace and the lit dome.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: May, Oct. Rainy season Jun–Jul, Sep.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER
Pair It With
Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance
