Hiroshima Peace Museum Exhibits Getting Face-lift

Above, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum with the Memorial Cenotaph in the foreground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is renewing its displays on the atomic bombing of the city that occurred in August 1945.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun:

HIROSHIMA -- The city of Hiroshima on May 22 announced plans to renew displays at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to comprehensively showcase the horrors of the U.S. atomic bombing in 1945 from its immediate aftermath to the saga of hibakusha and the sorrows of family members left behind. 

As part of a face-lift now under way, the museum in the city's Naka Ward will boost the number of photos and materials to be displayed and use images by computer graphics and touch panels to help the young generation better understand the tragedy.

One display item was mentioned in the article, which caught my attention. It is the before and after dioramas of Hiroshima.

According to the article:

The museum says it will replace a diorama of the city with a five-meter circular model of the heart of the city before and after the Aug. 6, 1945 atomic bombing. It will visualize aviation photography of the city within a radius of 2.5 kilometers from the hypocenter before and after the bombing and project it into the model. Pre-bombing images will include those of ships sailing in the river.

Currently, there are two dioramas that depict Hiroshima. One shows the city as it looked before the bombing and the other shows the city in the aftermath of the bombing. I photographed the two dioramas in 2004 and combined the two photos (below).

To read the full article, go here.