I recieved another Japanese postcrossing postcard through my letterbox this morning from Michiko in Hiroshima, with a picture on of the UNESCO world heritage site: Genbaku Dome – here is a little about it.
“Hiroshima Peace Memorial, commonly called the Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome (Japanese: 原爆ドーム Genbaku Dome), in Hiroshima, Japan, is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The building serves as a memorial to the people who died in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Having slightly missed the original target (the distinctive “T”-shaped Aioi Bridge), at 8:15 on August 6, 1945 the first nuclear bomb to be used against mankind detonated almost directly above the dome (the actual center of the blast was 490 feet (150 m) away and 1,968 feet (600 m) above ground).
The Genbaku Dome was originally scheduled to be demolished with the rest of the ruins, but the fact that it was mostly intact delayed these plans. As Hiroshima was rebuilt around the dome, it became a subject of controversy; some locals wanted it torn down, while others wanted to preserve it as a memorial of the bombing”
- Source Wikipedia
