Hiroshima–Nagasaki runs until November 14

By Cassidy Havens

A new exhibit at Prague’s New Town Hall pays tribute to the victims of the 1945 bombings of Japan that brought the world into the age of nuclear war.

The exhibit Hiroshima–Nagasaki 1945–2010 includes a printed excerpt from U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech in Prague on April 2009: “As the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act.”

The exhibit presents items from both Hiroshima and Nagasaki — from plates melted together by the heat of the blasts to victims’ clothing. Stories about the victims’ or survivors’ accompany most such artifacts. The exhibit also touches on the history behind the bombings, the effects on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the perception of nuclear weapons today.

Attendees of the 14th annual Forum 2000 conference in the Czech capital assembled for the exhibit’s grand opening. Nippon Foundation chairman Yohei Sasakawa, Hiroshima survivor Shigeko Sasamori, Federation of American Scientists president Charles D. Ferguson spoke at the event.

Sasakawa is one of the original founders of Forum 2000 and his Nippon Foundation is one of the organizers of the exhibit, along with the Forum 2000 Foundation, Prague’s New Town Hall, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

Hiroshima–Nagasaki
Open daily, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
New Town Hall, Vodičkova 1/3, Prague 2–New Town
Entrance is CZK 30 ($1.70) for students and CZK 40 ($2.27) for adults.
Runs until November 14