The past is not the past
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| Dusk at the Atomic -Genbaku- Dome. |
The building was originally designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel. It was completed in April 1915, and the new building was named the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition (HMI). It was formally opened to the public in August that year. In 1921 the name was changed to the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall, and again in 1933 to the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.
The original target chosen for the bomb was the distinctive 'T'-shaped Aioi Bridge and at 8:15 on August 6th, 1945 the first nuclear bomb to be used against humankind detonated almost directly above the building (the actual hypocentre was 160 meters / 490 feet away and 580 meters / 1,968 feet above ground).
The Genbaku dome, being the closest structure to withstand the explosion, has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing, now serving as a reminder of nuclear devastation, a symbol of hope for world peace and elimination of all nuclear weapons.
China had reservations regarding the confirmation of the memorial as a World Heritage Site and the delegate of the United States to the World Heritage Committee dissociated himself from the decision. China cited the possibility that the monument could be used to downplay the fact that the enemies of Japan suffered the greatest losses of life during the war, while the United States claimed that the memorial as such would omit the necessary historical context.
