Atomic Bomb Dome (Former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall)

In December 1996, at the 20th UNESCO World Heritage Committee Merida Conference, it was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site as a building that conveys the devastation of nuclear weapons. The designated area is the area where the Atomic Bomb Dome is located, about 0.39 hectares. The Atomic Bomb Dome was built in 1915 as a facility for displaying and selling products in Hiroshima Prefecture, and also hosted Hiroshima Prefecture art exhibitions and expositions. When it was first established, it was named "Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall", but after that it was renamed to "Hiroshima Prefectural Product Display Center" and in 1933 to "Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall". The designer was Czech architect Jan Letzel, and the structure was partly made of steel-framed bricks, with stone and mortar exteriors. The whole was a three-story building, with a five-story staircase in the center of the front, and an oval copper dome (major axis approx. 11 m, minor axis approx. 8 m, height 4 m) placed on it. At that time, most of the city center of Hiroshima was a two-story wooden building, and such a bold European-style building is extremely rare, and it is counted as one of Hiroshima's famous places due to its modern beauty that shines on the river surface. I did. August 6, 1945, 8:15 am. The first atomic bomb in human history exploded about 160m southeast of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Center and at an altitude of about 600m. The pressure of the blast is 35 tons per square meter, and the wind speed is 440 m. The building was wrecked by the blast and heat rays, and the fire was blown from the ceiling to burn it down. The blast worked almost vertically, miraculously avoiding the collapse of the center of the main building, but all the people inside the building died instantly. After the war, the remains of the former Industrial Promotion Hall became known by the citizens as the Atomic Bomb Dome because of the shape of the fornix and steel frame at the top. It was transferred from Hiroshima Prefecture to Hiroshima City in 1953, and in July 1966, the Hiroshima City Council resolved to preserve the Atomic Bomb Dome. Preservation work was done. In addition, as a result of the city, city council, and widespread civic movement, it was designated as a national historic site in June 1995, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs applied for registration with UNESCO. In December 1996, it was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Today, the appearance of the tragedy at the time of the bombing is a symbol of No More Hiroshima, and it has become a symbol that appeals to the world for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the importance of permanent peace over time. You cannot enter the inside of the Atomic Bomb Dome. It is not a facility that you can enter, so you will have to visit from the outside.