Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki hold first A-bomb exhibition in Hungary
May 29, 2017
by Kanako Noda, Staff Writer
Starting on June 1, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will hold a joint exhibition on the atomic bombings at a museum in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. This is the first time that an A-bomb exhibition is being held in that nation. In conjunction with the exhibition, Toshiko Kajimoto, 86, an A-bomb survivor living in Nishi Ward who shares her experience of the Hiroshima bombing, and others will be dispatched to Budapest.
The venue of the exhibition is the Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum. It was originally an underground shelter, and was used as a military hospital during World War II. Now, the museum shows visitors what conditions were like during the war. The exhibition will display artifacts from the atomic bombings, including the personal effects, such as a lunchbox and a belt, of mobilized students who perished in the A-bomb attacks. One of the paper cranes that former U.S. President Barack Obama folded and brought to Hiroshima when he visited the city last May will also be on display.
In addition to photo panels that describe the devastating consequences of the atomic bombings, visitors will be able to watch videos of A-bomb survivors recounting their experiences and read the Hungarian translations of their written accounts. Ms. Kajimoto will share her A-bomb experience three times in all, at the museum and at other venues, including a university in Budapest. Ms. Kajimoto was 14 when she experienced the Hiroshima bombing while at a factory where she had been mobilized to work, located about 2.3 kilometers from the hypocenter.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is now seeking to build long-term relationships with museums overseas that display war-related items. Kenji Shiga, the director of the Peace Memorial Museum, will travel to Budapest and meet with the director of the museum there to discuss ideas for lending and borrowing from their collections and engaging in exchanges of staff for training opportunities. A staff member of the museum’s Outreach Division said, “We hope to strengthen our ability to appeal for a peaceful world by working together with other museums.”
In 1995, which marked the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the first A-bomb exhibition was held overseas at American University in Washington, D.C., with the aim of conveying the true consequences of the A-bomb attacks more widely and raising public awareness for the abolition of nuclear weapons. To date, such A-bomb exhibitions have been held 52 times in 45 cities located in 16 nations.
In addition to the exhibition in Budapest, the former Yugoslavian city of Kotor, now part of Montenegro, will hold an A-bomb exhibition in November for the first time.
(Originally published on May 29, 2017)
Starting on June 1, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will hold a joint exhibition on the atomic bombings at a museum in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. This is the first time that an A-bomb exhibition is being held in that nation. In conjunction with the exhibition, Toshiko Kajimoto, 86, an A-bomb survivor living in Nishi Ward who shares her experience of the Hiroshima bombing, and others will be dispatched to Budapest.
The venue of the exhibition is the Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum. It was originally an underground shelter, and was used as a military hospital during World War II. Now, the museum shows visitors what conditions were like during the war. The exhibition will display artifacts from the atomic bombings, including the personal effects, such as a lunchbox and a belt, of mobilized students who perished in the A-bomb attacks. One of the paper cranes that former U.S. President Barack Obama folded and brought to Hiroshima when he visited the city last May will also be on display.
In addition to photo panels that describe the devastating consequences of the atomic bombings, visitors will be able to watch videos of A-bomb survivors recounting their experiences and read the Hungarian translations of their written accounts. Ms. Kajimoto will share her A-bomb experience three times in all, at the museum and at other venues, including a university in Budapest. Ms. Kajimoto was 14 when she experienced the Hiroshima bombing while at a factory where she had been mobilized to work, located about 2.3 kilometers from the hypocenter.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is now seeking to build long-term relationships with museums overseas that display war-related items. Kenji Shiga, the director of the Peace Memorial Museum, will travel to Budapest and meet with the director of the museum there to discuss ideas for lending and borrowing from their collections and engaging in exchanges of staff for training opportunities. A staff member of the museum’s Outreach Division said, “We hope to strengthen our ability to appeal for a peaceful world by working together with other museums.”
In 1995, which marked the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the first A-bomb exhibition was held overseas at American University in Washington, D.C., with the aim of conveying the true consequences of the A-bomb attacks more widely and raising public awareness for the abolition of nuclear weapons. To date, such A-bomb exhibitions have been held 52 times in 45 cities located in 16 nations.
In addition to the exhibition in Budapest, the former Yugoslavian city of Kotor, now part of Montenegro, will hold an A-bomb exhibition in November for the first time.
(Originally published on May 29, 2017)
