HIROSHIMA

Hiroshima Peace Memorial:Better known as the A-Bomb Dome(Genbaku Domu) is Hiroshima s best-known symbol.Formerly the Prefectural Industrial Promotional Hall,it was designed by Czech Architect Jan Letzel and completed in 1915.The fanciful green dome in particular made the building a much-loved symbol in Hiroshima before the war.When the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6 , 1945, the exsplosion is thought to have taken place almost directly above the building.Its skeletal remains were among the few buildings left standing in the entire city.It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 amid some controversy-the United States and China both voted against the nomination for reasons related to the war, and some Japanese continue to find it a disturbing sight.It has become a symbol of the city once again,though, and the benches around the building are as likely to be occupied by Hiroshima natives reading.

ACROSS THE RIVER FROM THE PEACE MEMORIAL PARK