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Description
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Peace Boulevard, also known as the 100-Meters Road, is a street with wide green belts on both sides that runs for approximately four kilometers from east to west through Hiroshima City. At the end of World War II the area around present-day Peace Boulevard was being cleared of existing buildings and widened to serve as a firebreak to prevent the spread of fire caused by incendiary bombs. On the morning of August 6, 1945 many students from elementary school advanced course, junior high schools, and girls’ middle schools who had been mobilized for building demolition work were exposed to the bomb outdoors and lost their lives. This is one reason there are several school-related memorials in the vicinity of Peace Boulevard.
After the war urban planning for postwar reconstruction, including the current Peace Boulevard, was discussed and plans were included in the Hiroshima Urban Reconstruction Plan of 1946 to build a road 100 meters wide. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Plan, based on the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law passed in 1949 included this boulevard as its main axis.
Named Peace Boulevard in 1951 based on names proposed by the public, this boulevard was built as a symbol of Hiroshima Peace Memorial City and to fulfill a multifaceted role in addition to transportation as a place for residents to relax, for sightseeing and for preventing disasters. In 1957 people were encouraged to donate trees through a tree donation campaign resulting in approximately 6,000 trees being planted in the green belts of Peace Boulevard, which was fully opened to traffic in 1965. Today, it is well known by residents and tourists alike as the parade venue for the annual Hiroshima Flower Festival held in May and as the site of the Hiroshima Dreamination, a light display event held each winter.
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