Hiroshima and Nagasaki: August 1945

On 6 August 1945 Aioi Bridge was the bombers' chosen point of aim: it was easily recognizable and stood near the city centre. The bomb was released at 08:15 Hiroshima time, but it missed the bridge horizontally by 240 metres. The bridge, built in 1932 for streetcars, was badly damaged but not destroyed. It was replaced in 1983 by a new bridge resembling the original, and a surviving piece of a floor girder was given to the Peace Memorial Museum.

Visitor guidance: The bridge is the north entrance to Peace Memorial Park.

The bomb detonated directly above Shima Hospital, and the blast was directed downwards. The hospital itself became the hypocenter, or ground zero. All the medical staff and patients inside, about 80 people, died instantly. The director, Dr Shima, was away helping a colleague at a hospital in a nearby town; he and one nurse were the only survivors of the staff. He returned to Hiroshima that night and began treating the injured. In October 1945 a Riken investigator declared the hospital to be the hypocenter.

Visitor guidance: A monument marking the hypocenter stands beside the hospital, about five minutes' walk from the Dome.

The Dome stood 150 metres horizontally and 600 metres below the point of the blast. Because the explosion was almost directly overhead, the building kept its shape, and it was the only structure left standing near the hypocenter. It was scheduled for demolition, but the debate ended with the skeleton being preserved. It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1996. The Radiation Effects Research Foundation estimates that 90,000 to 166,000 people in Hiroshima died by the end of 1945.

Visitor guidance: The ruin stands in Peace Memorial Park.

Three days later, Bockscar left Tinian with Kokura as its primary target. Cloud and smoke hid Kokura, so the aircraft went on to Nagasaki, where a break in the clouds let the bombardier sight the target. At 11:02 the bomb exploded about 500 metres above a tennis court in the Urakami Valley; hills confined the blast to that valley. A plaque here, beside a black stone monolith marking the hypocenter, says about one-third of the city was destroyed and 150,000 people were killed or injured. The Radiation Effects Research Foundation estimates that 60,000 to 80,000 people in Nagasaki died by the end of 1945.

Visitor guidance: The hypocenter park is open to the public and sits next to Nagasaki Peace Park.

Urakami Cathedral had been built by a Christian community that, between 1869 and 1873, saw over 3,600 villagers banished into exile. Until 1945 it was the largest Christian structure in the Asia-Pacific region. The bomb detonated only 500 metres away and destroyed it completely. With the Feast of the Assumption near, a well-attended Mass was being held, and everyone inside died in the collapse and the heat. The congregation wanted to rebuild on the original site, and the new cathedral was finished in 1959; a section of the old wall stands in the Peace Park.

Visitor guidance: A rebuilt cathedral stands on the original site.

The Sannō Shrine lies about 800 metres from the hypocentre. The blast knocked down one column of its stone torii gate; the other remained standing, so the gate was effectively broken in half. The shockwave also rotated the torii about 30 degrees on its base. Two large camphor trees in the grounds were scorched and stripped of all their leaves by the shock wave, yet survived. The one-legged torii is the shrine's best-known feature.

Visitor guidance: The torii and the camphor trees can be seen at the shrine entrance.

The museum was established in August 1955, with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall. It collects and displays belongings left by the victims, photographs and other materials that convey what happened. The West Wing has shown clothing, watches, hair and other personal effects worn by victims. Between 1955 and 2005, 53 million people visited, averaging over one million a year.

Visitor guidance: The museum is inside Peace Memorial Park; check current opening hours and ticket details before visiting.

The park was established in 1955, near the hypocenter. At its north end stands the 10-metre Peace Statue by Nagasaki sculptor Seibo Kitamura. Its raised right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons, while the extended left hand symbolizes eternal peace. In front of the statue is a black marble vault containing the names of the atomic bomb victims, including survivors who died in later years.

Visitor guidance: The park is open to the public and is a short walk from the hypocenter.