Peace Buildings Around the World
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Click here for peace chapels, churches & temples.Right click image to enlarge.
1722 - Fredensborg Slot Castle, near Copenhagen (Denmark).While the building was still under construction Denmark and Sweden negotiated a peace treaty, which was signed July 3, 1720 on the site of the unfinished palace. To commemorate the signing, the palace was named Fredens Borg / Palace of Peace.
1796 - Peacefield, Quincy, Massachusetts (USA). "I think to christen my place Peacefield, in commemoration of the peace which I assisted in making in 1783, of the thirteen years peace and neutrality which I [as Vice President] have contributed to preserve, and of the constant peace and tranqualitry which I have enjoyed in this residence." -- John Adams [1735-1926].
1815 - Chateau de la Paix / Castle of Peace, Ville de Fleurus (Belgium). Plaque in front reads: "Dans ce chateau dit Chateau de la Paix, NAPOLEON a établi son quartier géneral dans la nuit du 16 au 17 juin 1815 apres la victoire de LIGNY sous FLEURUS. Société Belge d'Etudes Napoleoniennes." /// N.B.: "La Bataille de Ligny se déroula le 16 juin 1815, soit deux jours avant la bataille de Waterloo. Ligny fut la dernière victoire de Napoléon."
Before 1839 - Château Allaman / Allaman Castle, Allaman, Vaud (Switzerland). "Has its origins in the 11th Century but the main components were built by the Count of Vaud in 1253. The wealthy Genevan philanthropist Jean-Jacques de Sellon [1782-1839], who owned the property until 1839, gave accommodation at the castle to, amongst many others, such political refugees as Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte, Joséphine de Beauharnais, the Duke of Bassano, the Count Camille Cavour, Voltaire as well as to Franz Liszt & George Sand. In 1820 [sic], de Sellon founded the Society of Peace, forerunner of the League of Nations & the United Nations Organization (UN). Since then, the Castle has also been referred to 'The Castle of Peace,' & Sellon was also instrumental in the abolition of the death penalty in Switzerland. One of the largest private properties of Switzerland, the private estate covers over 330,000 square metres (33 hectares; 82 acres) and offers some 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq ft) of living space. It is surrounded by private forests, parks, gardens & Grand Cru vineyards."
1897 - Negro Building, Tennessee Centennial Exposition (now Centennial Park), Nashville, Tennessee (USA). No longer exists. "Largest-ever display of African-American life and achievement." From dedication speech: "Here...the world may see the other side of Negro life than 'Sam Johnson, the chicken thief.' Here it may see the healthful buds of Negro handicraft, Negro art, science, literature, invention... Here... the old master who followed Lee's tattered banners... down to Appomattox sacrifices his pro-slavery ideas, and builds a monument to Negro fidelity and industry; and here the Negro brings the product of his brain and hand in grateful testimony to the friendly feelings between us."
August 28, 1913 - Vredespaleis / Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, The Hague (Netherlands). Constructed just before World War I by the Carnegie Foundation -- and still owned by the Carnegie Foundation. Now home of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the Peace Palace Library, and the Hague Academy of International Law.
February 1914 - Church Peace Union (CPU), Merrill House 170 East 64th Street, New York City, New York (USA). "The CCEIA was founded in New York City in 1914, when Andrew Carnegie [1835-1919] assembled a group of leaders in religion, academia and politics and appointed them trustees of an organization named the Church Peace Union (CPU). Through the CPU, Carnegie hoped to mobilize the world's churches, religious organizations and other spiritual and moral resources to join in promoting moral leadership and finding alternatives to armed conflict. William P. Merrill [1867-1954], pastor of New York's Brick [Presbyterian] Church, became the first president of the CPU. The timing of its founding was significant. On the very eve of World War I, Carnegie sought to make war obsolete for all time. For its inaugural international event, the CPU sponsored a conference to be held on August 1, 1914, [at Lindau] on the shores of Lake Constance in southern Germany. As the delegates made their way to the conference by train, Germany was invading Belgium... In 1961, the CPU was renamed Council on Religion & International Affairs (CRIA)... In 2005, the Council changed its name to Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (CCEIA)."
1919 - Peace Memorial Hall, Heroes Square, George Town (Grand Cayman Islands). Built imediately after World War I in the heart of Old George Town. Click here for other monuments named "peace memorial."
1921 - Peace Memorial School, 85 East 36th Street, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). Only the portico (in the shape of a triumphal or memorial arch) was preserved when the 84-year old school was demolished in the Summer of 2005. The site is now called Peace Memorial Park and is under development.
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1925 - Beit el-Amani / Peace Memorial Museum, Mnazi Moja, Stone Town (Zanzibar). Built in memory of those who died in World War I. " the British extended their ideas of ‘indirect rule’ even to the architecture of the early colonial monumental buildings. The museum was therefore designed [by British architect J.H. Sinclair] as an oriental Islamic structure, reminiscent of the Aya Sophia Mosque in Istanbul, a hexagonal building with a huge central dome and smaller domes at the corners." Now [contains] traditional crafts and household items from residents of Zanzibar, sultans, slave traders, European explorers and missionaries. Displays feature David Livingstone's medical chest, information about the harvesting of cloves, and the story of the German battleship Konigsberg which sunk during World War I.
November 23, 1938 - Welsh National Temple of Peace and Health (Temple of Peace), Cardiff (Wales). A non-religious civic building designed by the architect Sir Percy Thomas. Across the street from the National Assembly.
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POctober 26, 1945 - Housmans Bookshop, Peace House, 5 Caledonian Road, Kings Cross, London (England). "London's premier radical bookshop." "Founded by the Peace Pledge Union (PPU) in the optimistic aftermath of WW-II to promote peace literature along with related issues of human rights, justice & the environment. Named in honour of pacifist writer & dramatist Laurence Housman [1865-1959] who formally opened its first premises in Shaftesbury Avenue." Has published Housmans Peace Diary (& World Peace Directory) since it was started by general manager Harry Mister [1914-2006] in 1953.
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MSee Apsel, Joyce (2008), "Peace & human rights education: The UN as a [virtual] museum for peace," pp. 37-48, in Anzai, Ikuro, et al, ed. by (2008), 6th International Museums for Peace Conference, Kyoto (Japan).
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1968 - Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia (USA). Includes King's tomb (in lake in photo), an eternal flame, Rosa Parks room, and Mahatma Gandhi room. Click here for additional information. Entry #242 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001). (Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.)
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M1976 - Ralph Bunche Peace & Heritage Center, South Los Angeles, California (USA). Boyhood home of Ralph Bunche [1903-1971] who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize. . Declared a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM #159) in 1976 by the Los Angeles Cutural Heritage Commission and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
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E1979 - Toda Peace Memorial Hall, Yamashita Park, Yokohama (Japan). "One of seven established across the country as part of Soka Gakki's effort to promote the message of peace in Japan." Named for Josai Toda [1900-1958]. House was originally constructed in 1922 for the British delegation to Japan.
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SE1979 - Martin Buber House, Kreis Bergstraße, Heppenheim, Hessen (Germany). Inhabited by Martin Buber [1878-1965] & his family from 1916 until 1938 when they moved to Palestine. Contents destroyed during Crystalnacht. Became headquarters of International Council of Christians & Jews (ICCJ) in 1979.
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ENovember 26, 1986 - "Rauhanasema / Fredsstation / Peacestation / Peace House," Peace Square, Veturitori, Itä Pasila, Helsinki (Finland). Railroad station originally constructed in 1915. Google translation: "In 1984 Peace Union, was awarded a bid of 15 000 DM... The window was a peace sign & the banner: mobilization for peace. The building was towed to the current site. The house weighing 150 tonnes, 10 tonnes less than the blue whale, like the little boy said, inter... The station is growing corner of the apple tree, which is the gift of a peace conference of psychologists in 1986." Right image is "view from the Peace House." Information courtesy of Doug Fry.
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1994 - Centre Mondial de la Paix, des libertés et des droits de l'Homme, Palais Épiscopal, Verdun, Lorraine (France). Implanté dans le superbe palais épiscopal dessiné en 1723 par Robert de Cotte, premier architecte du roi, et classé monument historique, il délivre une note d'espérance à Verdun, aujourd'hui 'Capitale Mondiale de la Paix.'"
June 1995 - World Peace Pavilion, Ferry Terminal Park, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (Canada). Symbol of unity and solidarity amongst the people of the world. Site of G7 Summit in June 1995, and officially opened by the seven visiting foreign ministers. The triangular shaped structure displays an international collection of rocks and artifacts contributed by 80 countries in every corner of the globe.
June 2006 - Palace of Peace & Reconciliation, Astana (Kazakhstan). Also known as Palace of Peace & Accord. First used for Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Click here for info about a nearby statue of President Nursultan Nazarbayev dedicated on October 20, 2009.
October 27 or 28, 2008 - Peres Peace House, Jaffa (Israel). "A magnificent building of huge green blocks, which cost $15 million, three times the original estimate. The building is windowless & air-conditioned throughout & blocked off from its surroundings, which are home to a poor Arab population. Its faces the sea, as though its builders were hinting that the chance for peace lies in the West, beyond the sea, & not in the East, where neighbor enemies dwell." Named for Shimon Peres and dedicated on the tenth anniversary of the Peres Center for Peace.
Future - Maharishi Peace Palaces, c/o Maharishi Vedic City, Fairfield, Iowa (USA). To be constructed in many large cities by the Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corp. (MVED). "Will offer... the knowledge and practical programs for peace and enlightenment, for a healthy, happy, more creative, more fulfilling and successful life through the Transcendental Meditation program."
January 17, 2000 - 