Atomic Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム)

On August 6, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. To this day, the Atomic Bomb Dome conveys the horror of the bomb’s destructive power and the extent of the damage it caused. The Atomic Bomb Dome avoided total destruction, although it was only about 160 meters from the blast’s hypocenter. However, all the people inside the building died instantly, and the beautiful Western-style exterior and interior were utterly destroyed, with only the building’s steel frame remaining intact. In 1996, the Atomic Bomb Dome was registered as a World Heritage Site to be an architectural reminder of the horrors of nuclear weapons.