Memorials to visit on the Int'l Day of Peace

World
Europe

The annually International Day of Peace or the “Peace Day” is observed on September 21 around the world. As a day devoted to strengthening peace within and among nations and peoples, Peace Day can be participated in many aspects from education to arts, social justice to the environment.

The theme of 2018's International Day of Peace is “The Right to Peace - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70”. It aims to celebrate the 70th anniversary of a milestone document in the history of human rights – Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person,” as the Declaration states, and there are museums and memorials for people to visit around the world to remind us the cruelty of war and to cherish peace.

Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, China

There are over 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre. /VCG Photo

Located in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall is set to memorize over 300,000 victims slaughtered by Japanese invaders during World War II.

The museum consists of four functional zones: Outdoor Exhibition, Jiangdongmen Site Square, Museum and Peace Park. Constructed by grey-white marbles and black-white granite, it gives visitors a feeling of solemnity as they enter.

Sculpture of people suffering in the massacre. /VCG Photo

Since its establishment on August 15, 1985, the hall has received visitors over 60 million from all around the world, second only to the Palace Museum in Beijing, in terms of the number of visitors.

On October 9, 2015, the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall along with other ten archives about Nanjing Massacre were listed as the Memory of the World Register by the UNESCO. It functions as an influential museum for people to remember history, and call for the forever peace in the world.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Germany

The concrete slabs of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin, Germany. /VCG Photo

Known as the Holocaust Memorial, the Memorials to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin consist of 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field to create a confusing and depressing atmosphere for the visitors.

The building of the memorials began in 2003, and was completed in 2004. The “Place of Information” attached underground holds names of over three million Jewish victims in the Holocaust.

Over five million visitors worldwide visited the memorials from 2005 to 2015, according to the data released by the information center.

The USS Arizona Memorial, US

The USS Arizona Memorial from the outside. /VCG Photo

The USS Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, is one of several sites in Hawaii and elsewhere that are part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument.

It was built in memory of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on USS Arizona during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

It has been visited by more than two million people annually since it was built in 1962.

The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Japan

The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum is located in the city of Nagasaki, Japan, which was completed in April 1996. The museum is built to commemorate the atomic bombing of Nagasaki by the United States of America 9 August 1945 at 11:02:35 am.

The museum covers the history of nuclear weapons development. It also displays photographs, relics, and documents related to the bombing. The bombing demonstrated a new era in war, making Nagasaki a symbolic location for a memorial.

( Huang Qiao, Diao Mengna also contributed to the story. )