Peace Parks Around the World (Both Small & Large)

Click herefor peace gardens (which can be the same as peace parks except in name).
Click here for Wikipedia article on peace parks.
See below for special section on Pacific Rim Parks.
Click here for website of the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF), Stellenbosch (South Africa).
Click here for information about "Peace Parks: Conservation and Conflict Resolution," MIT Press.
Click here for website of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Gland (Switzerland).
Click here for information about Peace Parks Across Canada, a 1992 project of the International Insititute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT), Stowe, Vermont (USA).

Right click image to enlarge.

1851 - Boundary Monument, Friendship Park, on international border between Border Field State Park, San Diego, California (USA), & Tijuana (Mexico). Monument of Italian marble made in New York, shipped around Cape Horn, and erected in 1851 (soon after the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848). When this area started being called a Friendship Park has not been determined. Fence now separates the two countries and the monument. US side is open country. Mexican side is urban with a lighthouse & bull ring very close to the monument.

October 28, 1893 - Penn Treaty Park, Delaware (Columbus) Avenue & Beach Street, Fishtown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). Alleged site of famous peace treaty signed by William Penn [1644-1718] and the Lenape Indians in 1683. Click here for Wikipedia article. See associated virtual PennTreatyMusuem.org. Mentioned by Tom Flores (2008).

Circa 1908 - Peace Park, Hopkinsville, Kentucky (USA). Bequest by Hopkinsville native John C. Latham [1846-1909] of New York City, whose large tobacco warehouse on this site was destroyed by disgruntled tobacco growers (Night Raiders) on December 8, 1907. Click here for info about a Confederate Monument dedicated by Latham on May 19, 1887.

1910 - Gippeswyk Park, Ipswich, Suffolk (England). 45-acres presented by Felix Thornley Cobbold MP JP [1841-1909] "to be maintained as a public park and recreation ground, and not to be used for the drilling, or instruction of soldiers, or for any military purposes whatsoever." "Gippeswick was a seventh-century town centred near the quay." Info & photo from Gerard Lossbroek (Pax Christi) 05/09.

August 16, 1914 - Morokulien, between Magnor (Norway) & Eda (Sweden). Tiny international territory commemorating the 1905 negotiations which created peace between Norway & Sweden and led to Norwegian independence. Both images show the 18-meter Fredsmonument / Peace Monument. The name Morokulien combines the Norwegian & Swedish words for "fun."

1921 - Peace Memorial Park, Historic Centre, Wigston, Leicestershire, England (UK). " Established by public donation [and] recently rejuvenated with a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the park now boasts an award-winning pavilion [and is] home of Wigston's bowls clubs. ...an active Friends Group [partnered] with the council [to achieve] the lottery grant and continue to be involved in the ongoing management of the park." Floral display in left image spells out "Friends of Peace Memorial Park." Click here for other monuments named "peace memorial" in Commonwealth countries after World War I.

September 6, 1921 - International Peace Arch, Peace Arch Park, US/Canadian Border, Blaine, Washington (USA), & Douglas, British Columbia (Canada). Commemorates the centennial of the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812 between the US & Great Britain. Click here for the Wikipedia article. Entry #1211 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

Date? - Peace Arch, Peace Arch Park, US/Canadian border. What is this? Added to the park after 2000?

1927 - Memorial Peace Park & Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Pageant Grounds, Medicine Lodge, Barber County, Kansas (USA). Text of Kansas historical marker: "Medicine Lodge Peace Treaties. In October 1867, Kiowa, Comanche, Arapahoe, Apache and Cheyenne Indians [the Five Nations] signed a peace treaties with the Federal government. 15,000 Indians camped near by during the council, among them the famous chiefs Satanta [c1820-1878], Little Raven [d.1889] and Black Kettle [c1803-1868]. 500 soldiers acted as escort for the US commissioners. Interest in this colorful spectacle was so widespread that Eastern papers sent correspondents, among them Henry M. Stanley [1841-1904], who later was to find Livingstone in Africa. While the treaties did not bring immediate peace they made possible the coming of the railroads and eventual settlement. The site of the council was at the confluence of the Medicine river and Elm creek, a little southwest of Medicine Lodge. Every five years a treaty pageant is re-enacted in this amphitheater. In Medicine Lodge there is a commemorative monument on the high school grounds." Second image shows old entrance posts. Third image shows Peace Treaty Statue in town of Medicine Lodge.

F O U N T A I N

September 14, 1929 - Peace Fountain, Amsterdam Park, St. Clair Avenue W at Avenue Road, Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Inscribed: "[Replica of] the fountain at [the Peace] Palace, The Hague. Presented by H.H. Williams...as a mark of his love [for peace]." /// A very successful Realtor who lived nearby, H. H. Williams donated the land for this park & the fountain in it. He went to Europe in search of a suitable fountain for the park & found what he wanted, a wall fountain near the entrance to the Peace Palace at The Hague. The Peace Palace had been built as a meeting place for all nations, in the hope of preventing any further world-wide wars. Williams had a replica built here which was unveiled the same day that the Peter Pan statue was dedicated across the road. The fountain has recently been restored. The park received its present name in 1974 when Totonto & Amsterdam became twin cities.

F O U N T A I N

August 28, 1913 - Peace Fountain, Peace Palace, The Hague (Netherlands). Inscription names Abraham Pieter Cornelis van Karnebeek [1836-1925] & others responsible for creating the Peace Palace.

June 18, 1932 - Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Alberta (Canada) & Montana (USA). "Oldest international peace park [sic]." Established on the initiative of Rotary International. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Upper image is cover of Saturday Evening Post for August 5, 1961, showing a happy family on the international border. Click here for Wikipedia article. Entry #1210 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

2007 - Peace Exhibit, Goat Haunt Ranger Station, Glacier National Park (USA). At south end of Upper Waterton Lake. No road access! "Visitors can view a new International Peace Park exhibit at Goat Haunt. The exhibits explore the history of the Peace Park - the world's first - as well as the meanings of peace in the world." ["Celebrating 75 Years of Peace & Friendship," National Park Service, July 19, 2007].

2007? - Peace Exhibit, Waterton Lakes National Park (Canada). At north end of Upper Waterton Lake. Peace Exhibit exists according to Nigel & Antonia Young.

July 14, 1932 - International Peace Garden, Dunseith, North Dakota (USA) and Boissevain, Manitoba (Canada). "2,339 acre botanical garden on the world's longest unfortified border." Various monuments built over the years, including Peace Cairn (qv), Peace Carillon (qv), Peace Chapel, two 20-story concrete Peace Towers & 9/11 Memorial. Click here for Wikipedia article. Entry #1209 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1940 - International Peace Gardens, Jordan Park, Salt Lake City, Utah (USA). 8.25 acres. 24 gardens developed by ethnic & national groups 1948-1989. Initiated by Mrs. O. A. Wiesley, SLC Council of Women. Includes Little Mermaid from Copenhagen, the Matterhorn, Olmec Head from Mexico, "Peace on Earth" statue (qv), & 84 peace poles from the 2002 Winter Olympics (qv). Image shows Japanese garden added in 1950. Entry #996 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

September 2, 1940 - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), North Carolina & Tennssee (USA). 814 square miles (2,108 square kilometers) divided almost equally between the two states. Only US national park created entirely from privately owned land. Dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage area in 1983. Never called a "peace park" but meets all of the criteria of a "transfrontier conservation area" (TFCA) as defined by the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) or of a "transboundary protected area" (TBPA) as defined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

June 17, 1940 - Peace Carillon, Belle Isle Park, Detroit River, Detroit, Michigan (USA). 85-foot tower designed by Clarence E. Day (brother-in-law of James E. Scripps, publisher of the Detroit News). Funds raised by journalist Nancy Brown who wrote a column for the Detroit News called "Experience" from 1919 to 1942 The 49-bell carillon was restored & computer automated in 2005. Right image shows inscription: "Dedicated to the glory of God and in hope of everlasting peace between the peoples of the Dominion of Canada and of the Vnited States of America. Monvment Bvilders of America-AD 1941."Entry #498 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1941 - International Peace Monument (Bench), Belle Isle Park, Detroit River, Detroit, Michigan (USA). Carved on the back of the bench are an eagle with 13 stars for the US & a crown & lion for Canada. Entry #494 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

April 25, 1947 - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, National Park Service (NPS), Medora, North Dakota (USA). Includes Roosevelt's two ranches: Maltese Cross (restored) & Elkhorn (remote). Established as Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park in 1947 & became a National Park in 1978. Roosevelt first went to ND in 1883 & spent about 300 days there over a 10 year period. Theodore Roosevelt [1858-1919] was US President 1901-1909 and received the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.

September 1, 1953 - Peace Park, Ankara (Turkey). "Surrounds Anitkabir (literally, "memorial tomb"), the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk [1881-1938], the leader of the Turkish War of Independence & the founder & first president of the Republic of Turkey. Called a Peace Park in honor of Ataturk's famous expression "Peace at home, peace in the world." It contains around 50,000 decorative trees, flowers & shrubs in 104 varieties, donated from around 25 countries." /// "Several trees & saplings were taken from Afghanistan, USA, Germany, Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, France, India, Iraq, England, Spain, Israel, Italy, Japan, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, Norway, Portugal, Yugoslavia & Greece. Today, the Peace Park contains approximately 48,500 trees & plants, from 104 different species."

April 1, 1954 - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima (Japan). Contains the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Hiroshima Peace Bell, and many other peace monuments. Left image is air view. Right image shows the cenotaph (right) and Hiroshima Boys Choir (left) during the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6 (Hiroshima Day). #26 of 56 "cenotaphs & monuments" on the Virtual E-Tour. Click here for Wikipedia article.Click here for peace monuments in Hiroshima.

August 9, 1955 - Nagasaki Peace Park, Matsuyama-machi, Nagasaki (Japan). Image shows 10-meter-tall Peace Statue created by sculptor Seibou Kitamura. Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims and Urakami Cathedral are nearby. In 1978, the city of Nagasaki established a "Peace Symbols Zone" on both sides of the park and invited donations of peace monuments from countries around the world.

August 20, 1964 - Roosevelt Campobello International Park, Campobello Island, New Brunswick (Canada). Left image shows the 34-room Roosevelt Cottage in what is now the international park. The l,l58 hectare (2,800 acre) park also contains "Sunsweep," stone monument by sculptor David Barr (right image). NB: Only bridge to Campobello Island is from Maine (USA). Entry #1264 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

May 1972 - Okinawa Peace Memorial Park, Mabuni Hill, Okinawa (Japan). "The Okinawa Peace Memorial Hall stands in the center of the park. As plans and arrangements were being made for the park, many memorials were constructed by the bereaved families and war comrades from each prefecture. This site represents the center of the battlefield. On Mabuni Hill itself there are about 39 memorials (as of March 1992), including Reimei-no-to and the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum. A memorial service is held every year by the Okinawa Prefecture on June 23, "Comfort Day." Click here for webpage about peace monuments in & near this park.

1975 - Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Memorial Park, 614-Imabuni, Itoman, Okinawa (Japan). Relocated to new building in 2000. (Image shows the new building.) One of 9 Japanese institutions described in brochure for 6th International Conference of the INMP in 2008. Near the Cornerstone of Peace & other peace monuments.

About 1973 - Big Spring International Park, Corner of Church & Williams, Huntsville, Alabama (USA). "First picnic area established in 1898. Got its international flavor from various gifts given to the city from other countries. In 1973 Norway gave a 1903 light beacon as well as a 1924 fog bell. In 1987 Japan gave the city the red bridge which is now a main attraction in the park. The park also boasts 60 cherry trees from Japan and a park bench given by Great Britain." Info courtesy of Anna Lee.

February 4, 1974 - Chamizal National Memorial, El Paso, Texas (USA), & Parque Público Federal "El Chamizal," Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua (Mexico). Corresponding parks in the US & Mexico. Both commemorate the peaceful settlement of the century-long Chamizal boundary dispute [1852-1963] and are located in the formerly disputed area. Image shows the US park and international border on the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo.

P A R K

1978 - Mitzpor Shalom / Vista of Peace Park, between : Zionism Avenue 112 & 2nd November Road, Haifa (Israel). "A beautiful, serene, and peaceful park with a fantastic view of Haifa and the bay. The first public sculpture garden in the world dedicated solely to the works of a woman sculptor. Sculptress Ursula Malbin [b.1917] created all 29 of the statues in the Peace Park as well as some in the Ein Hod artist village. Sculptures include ______, Cat Lady, Trilli & Susi galloping to Mongolia, Guitarist Anonymous, Trillian & boy-friend Anonymous (because his clothes are off).

1979 - Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek. This is a "transfrontalier park system" located at the borders of Yukon Territory (Canada), Alaska (USA) & British Columbia (Canada). It is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the spectacular glacier and icefield landscapes as well as for the importance of grizzly bears, caribou and Dall sheep habitat. The total area of the site is over 32,000,000 acres (130,000 km²). Entry #1212 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

Date? - Civil Rights Memorial Park, just east of Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, Alabama (USA). A poorly maintained collection of folk murals and small monuments. The three illustrated were erected by Evelyn Lowrey of Atlanta, Georgia.

1982 - Nakahara Peace Park, Kosugi Area, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture (Japan). Site of base given up by U.S. Army in 1975. Park contains Kawasaki Peace Museum (1992) & numerous peace sculptures, including "two parallel lightning bolts of assembled stone" (1983) by American sculptor James Sanborn. Kawasaki is adjacent to Tokyo. Photos by EWL 10/08.

1986 - Canberra Peace Park, Canberra, Australian Capitol Territory (Australia). Established for UN International Year of Peace. Monument added in 1990.

1987 - Seaforth Peace Park & Fountain, Burrard Street Bridge (south end), Vancourver, British Columbia (Canada). Click here for air view.

September 12, 1988 - Seattle Peace Park, Tashkent (Uzbekistan). "Covers a territory of 1.5 acres. The Seattle-Tashkent Sister City Association along with Peace Corps Volunteers created the park, decorating it with a fountain, a mosaic map of the world [in image], a striking sculpture by a Seattle-based artist, many decorative and unique tiles designed by Seattle citizens, and planting the trees that have grown over the years and now shade half of the park." Photo courtesy of Anatoly Ionesov 11/08.

September 1988 - Parque Internacional La Amistad (PILA) / La Amistad International Peace Park (Costa Rica & Panama). "Lies along the Talamanca mountain range. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. ...a little less than half of it is in Costa Rica. That leaves 207,000 hectares on the Panama side. Nearly all of this land is in the province of Bocas del Toro, but the 3 percent of it that pokes into Chiriquí province is far more accessible."

September 16, 1989 - Parque de la Paz / Peace Park, Sector Sur, San Jose (Costa Rica). "Antonio Quesada architect designed the park, like the Savannah in 1976... According to Culture Minister Guido Sáenz, the Peace Park cost ¢ 400 million Guido Sáenz 1986 [sic]."

Date? - Parque de la Paz / Peace Park, Merida, Yucatan (Mexico). "Has a large fountain in the center, which is lit up at night. The park is flanked on one side by the former Juárez Penitentiary, a formidable building which has a way of looking quite beautiful at sunset. The park is full of trees and very well groomed, and is a pleasure to stroll around and through."

1990 - Parque de la Paz / Peace Park, Plaza de la Paz / Peace Square, downtown Managua (Nicaragua). Commemorates the end of the Contra Conflict [1979-1990]. "The fierce weapon-buying campaign of President Violeta Chamorro (who became president on on April 25, 1990) eradicated the threat of persisting violence." "Basically, a huge hole was dug in the ground and then filled with guns and cement, part of the park sculpted into a lighthouse and an abstract modern structure of squares, while the other part of the park is really rough and crude, and looks as if they poured a bunch of concrete on the edge of a small hill and then started jamming rifles into the quickly setting concrete." The park now suffers from neglect, homelessness, and valdalism. Lower left image shows cement-covered AK-47's.

August 6, 1990 - Sadako Peace Park, 40th Street & Roosevelt Way, NE, Seattle, Washington (USA). Initiative of conscientious objector Floyd W. Schmoe [1895-2001] who rebuilt homes in Hiroshima (Japan) & won the Hiroshima Peace Prize in 1998. Inscription: "Sadako Sasaki, Peace Child. She gave us the paper crane to symbolize our yearning for peace in the world. A gift to the people of Seattle from Fratelli's Ice Cream. Daryl Smith - Sculptor. 1990." Vandalized in December 2005 but repaired. Upper image shows Schmoe & peace cranes. Lower image shows hibakusha Ken Nakano of Kirkland, WA. Entry #1063 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

August 1949-1952 - "Houses for Hiroshima," at the foot of Ebasara-yama Hill, Eba-machi, Hiroshima (Japan). "Forestry scholar Floyd Schmoe [1895-2001] came up with a plan to build houses for people in Hiroshima. Friends Pacific Yearly Meeting and the Japan Friends Years Meeting [sic] cooperated to raise funds. Money eventually came from Canada, France, China and other countries around the world... Houses were built every year from 1950 to 1952. In addition. a community center was constructed in 1951." Upper image shows Schmoe and Mayor Shinzo Hamai [1905-1968] looking at a stone lantern in the garden. "The lantern inscribed "That There May Be Peace" in both English and Japanese, symbolizing the philosophy of Schmoe."

Early 1990's - Nyingma Tibetan Buddhist Temple & Stupa Peace Park, Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC) of Maryland, 18400 River Road, Poolesville, Montgomery County, Maryland (USA), near Washington, DC. 65-acre peace park. See similar stupa & peace park in Sedona, Arizona (USA).

1992 - Memorial Arch, Peace Park, Eau Claire Promenade, Prince's Island Park, 2 Avenue & 8 Street SW, Calgary, Alberta (Canada). "In 1992 the park was dedicated as part of a Canada 125 project to commemorate Canada's peacekeepers (one of 250 peace parks that opened throughout Canada that year). Memorial Arch acts as a memorial to the soldiers who died in World War 1, 2 and the Korean War. Originally, the Arch was part of the Strathcona Building built during WW1. The Arch was salvaged when the building was demolished and spent several years in City storage before it was erected at the Bridgeland LRT station in 1985. It was dismantled block by block and reconstructed in Peace Park in 1992." Twelve elm trees arranged in a circle, an ancient Bosco Sacro design that represents peace, were also planted in the park.

May 1994 - Friendship Gate, Vladivostok (Russia). First of five parks sponsored by the Pacific Rim Park Project of San Diego, California (USA).

1994-2005 - Prairie Peace Park, Seward, Nebraska (USA) -- 7 miles west of Lincoln on Interstate Highway 80 (exit 388). Peace museum primarily for children, created and owned by Don Tilley. Closed in 2005, but some of its outdoor displays remain. Included open globe (with doves of peace) and 16 sculptures of Sadako Sasaki. Entry #582 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1995 - Vietnamese-American Peace Park, 30 miles north of Hanoi (Viet-Nam). A project of the Madison Quakers. Image shows Dove Mound, inspired by the Native American mound at the Highground Veterans Memorial Park, Neillsville,Wisconsin (USA).

August 26, 1995 - Peace Park, Highland Middle School, Highland, New York (USA). Peace pole by Jim Fawcett (shown in image) made with wood from Africa and added to the park on April 25, 2007.

1996 - Jane Addams Memorial Park, 600 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois (USA). Near Navy Pier. Honors Jane Addams [1860-1935], founder of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and first US woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize (1931). Park includes black granite statue "Helping Hands" by Louis Bourgeois. Entry #272 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1997 - Parque por la Paz Villa Grimaldi, Avenida Jose Arrieta, Penalolen, Santiago de Chile (Chile). Villa Grimaldi was a complex of buildings used for the interrogation and torture of political prisoners by DINA, the Chilean secret police, during the government of Augusto Pinochet [1915-2006].

May 29, 1998 - International Peace Plaza, Rotary Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada). Includes peace pole. Park was relocated in 2007 and rededicated on October 9.

1998 - My Lai Peace Park, My Lai (Viet-Nam). A project of the Madison Quakers. At site of the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968.

Summer 1998 - Pearl of the Pacific, Shelter Island, San Diego, California (USA). Second of five parks sponsored by the Pacific Rim Park Project of San Diego, California (USA).

Before 1999 - Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC) of Sedona, 2650 Pueblo Drive, Sedona, Arizona (USA). See similar stupa & peace park in Poolesville, Maryland (USA).

November 11, 1998 - Páirc Síochána d'Oileán na h'Éireann / Island of Ireland Peace Park, Mesen / Messines, near Ypres, Flanders (Belgium). A a war memorial to the soldiers of the island of Ireland who died, were wounded or are missing from World War I.Includes the Irish Peace Tower, a symbolic Irish round tower.

Date? - Peace Plaza, First Street (by the Mayo Cliinic), Rochester, Minnesota (USA). Renovated with ribbon cutting on June 19, 2008.

Date? - Peace Park, Tanilba Bay Foreshore (where the end of President Wilson Walk meets Peace Parade), Port Stephens, New South Wales (Australia). "This park is set in a quiet bushland setting surrounded by native flora and fauna."

Date? - Peace Park, Trevenar Street, Ashbury, New South Wales (Australia).

Date? - Peace Park, Layang-Layangan Village, Labuan Federal Territory (LFT), Borneo Island, Malayasia. Adjacent to Surrender Point where the commander of the Japanese Army surrendered to the Australians on September 9, 1945, leading to the end of WW-II in Borneo."This beautiful landscaped park was built as a memorial and renunciation of the horrers [sic] of war. A huge man-made mound is the focal point and there is a plaque signifying the renunciation of war." Formerly known as Victoria, LFT is "best known as an offshore financial centre as well as a popular tourist destination for the neighboring Bruneians and scuba diving aficionados."

2000 - National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II, Washington, DC (USA). Pays homage to the thousands of Japanese men and women who were imprisioned in American relocation camps in 1942-1945. At the center of the memorial is a sculpture of a bronze crane by Nina A. Akamu. Rising above the confines of the memorial wall, the crane is meant to symbolize "rising beyond limitations."

July 23, 2001 - Phoenix, Yantai (China). Inscribed "One moon draws us together through stone gates" in four languages. Third of five parks sponsored by the Pacific Rim Park Project of San Diego, California (USA).

M E M

2002 - Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, Boise, Idaho (USA). Along the Boise Greenbelt near the Black History Museum, Boise Art Gallery, Idaho History Museum, MK Nature Center & Log Cabin Literary Center."This world-class educational park, which has been profiled in several national publications including the National Geographic book 'Etched in Stone: Enduring Words from Our Nation's Monuments,' is the only Anne Frank memorial in the USA & one of the only places in the world where the full Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is on public display. The Memorial includes a life-sized bronze statue of Anne Frank & over 60 quotes from the world's humanitarian leaders. /// Kurt Karst, an Idaho Falls architect, designed the Memorial to integrate the beauty of natural elements-like water, stone & native plants-with the message of hope in humanity." "Gregory Stone of Northampton, Massachusetts, designed a bronze statue to honor Anne Frank."

May 19, 2002 - International People's Park (IPP), Dili (East Timor). "Park & its monument in central Dili [were] inaugurated by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the presence of many dignitaries." /// "In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory, & East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002."

August 6 or 16, 2002 - World Peace Park, Lüshun (former Port Arthur), ShunKou District, Dalian (China). Deliberately dedicated on Hiroshima Day? "The park locates in the seaside. The park features bronze statues of Presidents & leaders of 96 nations. On each of their glass plaques is carved a peace poem. Also on display are some works of art dealing with peace as well as a 'War & Peace' stamp collection." (This quote is from "Official Tour Wed Site of Dalian Lv ShunKou District.") See Wang, Yu & Jon Burley (June 11-13, 2008), ""Two Peace Parks: Dalian World Peace Park & the International Peace Garden," 1st WSEAS International Conference on Landscape Architecture (LA '08), Algarve (Portugal), pp. 29-37.

December 2002 - Green Island Human Rights Memorial Park, Tai-Tung County (Taiwan). Site of two prisons which held political prisoners. Educational center opened in 2008.

Date? - Rotary Peace Park, Vegreville, Alberta (Canada). Near the Ukrainian pysanka (giant Easter egg).

Date? - Rotary Peace Park, Downtown on Yukon River, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory (Canada).

2004 - Rotary Peace Park, Parksville, British Columbia (Canada).

2005. - Rotary International Peace Park, RIM Park, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada).

Summer 2004 - Entre Corazon y Mar / Between Heart & Sea, Tijuana (Mexico). Fourth of five parks sponsored by the Pacific Rim Park Project of San Diego, California (USA).

July 12, 2005 - Peace Pilgrim Park, London Street, Egg Harbor City, New Jersey (USA). Across from the Roundhouse Museum in the hometown of "Peace Pilgrim" Mildred Lisette Norman [1908-1981]. Maintained by the Friends of Peace Pilgrim in her memory. Quotation on sign: "Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth and hatred with love." Left image shows Peace Pilgrim's sister Helene Young with the statue of Peace Pilgrim. See other statue in Costa Rica. Click herefor more information.

May 3, 2006 - Ballajura War Memorial and Peace Park, Ballajura Community College, City of Swan, Western Australia (Australia). Includes "large floating granite revolving water sphere [and] rammed earth memorial panels...constructed from coloured sand collected from the length and breadth of Western Australia."

May 31, 2006 - Portland Peace Memorial Park, just south of Steele Bridge, Portland, Oregon (USA). Dedicated on Memorial Day. "Orchestrated by the Oregon chapter of Veterans for Peace. ...thought to be the largest memorial to the idea of peace in America [sic!]." Or called Portland Memorial Peace Park?

2006? - "Peace Park," Goldman Promenade, Armon HaNetziv, Jerusalem (Israel). "Two Bay Area visionaries have teamed up to turn a Jerusalem battlefield into a peace park. San Francisco environmentalist & philanthropist Richard N. Goldman [1920-2010], the man behind the Goldman Environmental Prize known as the 'Green Nobel,' & celebrated landscape architect Lawrence Halprin [1916-2009], designer of the FDR Memorial in Washington & the new Sigmund Stern Grove [in San Francisco], will receive a special award in June 2006 their part in creating a 1 1/2-mile promenade linking East & West Jerusalem. The promenade was built across Government Hill Ridge, a mountainside in southern Jerusalem that was no-man's land between Jordan & Israel from 1948 to 1967. According to the New Testament, this was the Hill of Evil Counsel, where 2,000 years ago Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver on the eve of the crucifixion. More recently, it was where the Six Day War erupted in Jerusalem in 1967."

2007 - Peace Park, 228 National Memorial Park, Taipei (Taiwan). Center is an underground "bamboo room," a sunken courtyard filled with bamboo plants that measures 350 feet by 130 feet and is 33 feet high. The park is named for an incident on Feb. 28, 1947, when Taiwan was transferred from Japanese rule to the Republic of China.

September 21, 2007 - Wellington Rotary Peace Park, Wellington, Florida (USA).

2008 -Bamiyan Peace Park, Bamiyan (Afghanistan). "Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers (AYPV), ranging in age from 8 to 20, [had] the same expectation as adults that all civic projects depend on foreign aid. [But] the owner of a local hotel donated soil, two construction companies loaned graders, & the AYPV came with shovels to remove rocks & help with leveling. An international NGO offered funding for the sign as well as construction of toilets. In a clear declaration of their self-confidence, the youth voted to refuse the donation. Eventually, they had an opportunity to sell a book to raise funds and, through its sales paid for a 5-foot-high, 4-foot-wide, pentagonal brick monument, a marble plaque inset with the words in Dari script: "Bamiyan Peace Park Established 1388" (according to the Muslim lunar calendar). The script at the top of the monument reads: "Why not love? Why not make peace?" Vandals defaced the lettering, intentionally splattering red paint across it to resemble drops of blood. The boys came together, recreated the lettering & on the reverse side added the words: "Even a little of our love is stronger than a war of the worlds.'"

October 7, 2008 - Mayo Memorial Peace Park & Garden of Remembrance, Castlebar, County Mayo (Ireland). "Honours the memory of all those from Mayo, who served and died in all wars worldwide and conflicts of the past century, with the Allied and Commonwealth Forces, a forgotten generation who were written out of local history until recent times." Opened by the President of Ireland, Mary Mc Alesee.

May 2009 - Pacific Rim Park, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island (Philippines). Fifth of five parks sponsored by the Pacific Rim Park Project of San Diego, California (USA).

2009 - Manchester Peace Park, Podujevo, (Kosovo). Nine hectares (22 acres). "A focal point in Podujeva's postwar healing process." /// "The Eden Project has been working in a long-term partnership with Manchester Aid to Kosovo (MAK) to develop an urban peace park in the town of Podujevo, which experienced cleansing in the civil war. Formally opened in 2009, the public space offers a sign of hope for the future as well as a way to remember & recover from the community’s trauma."

T R A I L

September 25, 2010 - "Path of peace," Mile Marker 99, Key Largo, Florida (USA). "[First of] a string of 22 outdoor sites throughout the Florida Keys where people can relax, gather their thoughts & re-energize their souls. 'They will be spaces for people to go who are in distress, or just so they can get away from computers, televisions and cell phones,' said Denise Downing, a member of the Keys to Peace leadership team. 'The sites will be a place to go & focus on gathering more inner peace.' The idea is to build peace parks from Key Largo to Key West, & Downing said Keys to Peace has had initial talks with the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Gardens. In fact, Downing said she envisions a 'peace trail' that links one peace park to another along the Keys. /// "Each park will feature a peace bell made from a recycled dive tank, an identification plaque ("Community Peace Park – We are ALL the Keys To Peace.") & seating. Keys To Peace will provide host sites with a bell primed & ready for custom artwork. Mounting of the bells & installation of additional enhancements (sculpture, wind chimes, peace poles, labyrinths, water features, etc.) will vary by location."

April 9, 2011 - Southernmost Peace Park, West Martello Tower, Key West, Florida (USA).

P A R K

Summer 2012? - Peace Park, Alton Baker Park (at the base of the DeFazio Footbridge & near the Ferry Street Bridge), Eugene, Oregon (USA). "Will consist of a Peace Path and an information kiosk at the entrance to the path. A stone wall will border the winding path and plaques on pillars alongside the path will acknowledge each American winner of the Nobel Peace Prize." /// "The first [peace park] in the nation to focus on the inspirational deeds of the nation's internationally recognized peacemakers. We hope to construct the Peace Park in the summer of this year." -- John Attig, President, Nobel Peace Laureate Project, February 5, 2012.

Future - Peace Memorial Park, 85 East 36th Street, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). "This 2.17 hectare (5.37 acre) former Peace Memorial School site is being re-developed as a passive neighbourhood park. Peace Memorial School [qv] was constructed in 1918 as a memorial to those who gave their lives during the First World War."

Future - United Nations Peace Park, Global NGO Complex & Map Museum, Global Campus, Kyung Hee University, Suwon (South Korea). "Expected to help improve relations between the Global Campus & international organizations, such as the UN, & domestic & international NGO's by offering spacious & convenient venues for international gatherings & research."

Future - Elko Community Peace Park, Elko, Nevada (USA). "The 8.5 acre park, featuring Nevada's natural habitat, is located on the north side of I-80 between College Parkway and Spruce Street, south of Mittry Avenue. Park partners include the City of Elko, the Friends of the Peace Park, and a growing list of volunteers and sponsors, both local and regional." /// "In 2010, the Peace Park began to have aesthetic & comfort additions as bridges across Eightmile Creek were built, restroom facilities were constructed & three portals & shade structures were installed. Aveson said they finally added the first cultural features this year with the completion of the medicine wheel. This year, volunteers also planted wild flowers throughout the area. There is now 3,000 feet of pathway & two bridges in the Peace Park. 'The wild flowers turned out well, and there are a lot of people using the park, even though we're still under construction,' Aveson said. On the short term to-do list is the installation of tables & benches, lighting, signage, additional landscaping, the peace wheel, a labyrinth & trail pavement. The labyrinth is a single, non-branching pathway that always leads to the center, which is made to create a peaceful walk."

Future - Gallipoli Peninsula Peace Park (Turkey). Norwegian architects Lasse Broegger & Anne-Stine Reine won the Gallipoli Peninsula Peace Park International Ideas & Design Competition in 1997-98. How much of the plan has been implemented?

Future - US/Mexico International Park Project, (USA & Mexico). Under discussion since 1935. Supported by Rotary International. Would join Big Bend National Park in the US with Maderas del Carmen and Cañon de Santa Elena protected areas in Mexico.

Future - International Peace Park, (China/Pakistan). Park proposed for both sides of the border, including Khunjerab National Park in Pakistan which is one of the highest altitude parks in the world.

Future - Peace Park in the Demilitarized Zone, both sides of the DMZ (Korea). Click here for story about DaimlerChrysler pledge of $500,000 to help former President Bill Clinton and Ted Turner build the peace park.

Future - Balkans Peace Park Project (BPPP), three nation area (Albania, Kosovo/a & Montenegro). Includes Shala Valley. Chair of the project is Antonia Young, University of Bradford, Bradford (England). Support is provided by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) & the Austrian Development Corporation. Image shows first ascent of Maja Lagojvet in the park area on 31 August 2009; climbers display the flag of Poland.

Future - Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (Mozambique, South Africa & Zimbabwe). The three Ministers for the Environment signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to initiate the park on November 10, 2000. This is one of several projects of the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) of Stellenbosch (South Africa).

Future - Great Limpopo & 13 Other Transfrontier Parks in Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia & Zimbabwe). As envisioned by the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) of Stellenbosch (South Africa).

P A R K

Future - Oush Grab Peace Park, Jerusalem-Eastern Gush Etzion Highway, Beit-Sahour (Shepherd’s Field), east of Bethlehem (Occupied Palestine). A development (fully funded by USAID in 2006) for a children’s hospital, youth center, public peace park, environmental center, recreation center, cultural center, and parking lot, but halted (indefinitely?) due to a counter proposal by "Women in Green" for a "Jewish Shdema" (settlement) on the same site (which is an abandoned IDF army camp).

P A R K

Future - Jordan River Peace Park, Peace Island, Naharayim (Israel & Jordan). "Project being spearheaded by the trilateral NGO Friends of the Earth Middle East, headquartered in Tel Aviv, Bethlehem, and Amman." "A six-day international design workshop in architecture on Tuesday opened at Naharayim. The participants are faculty & students from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut (USA), and the Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design, Jerusalem (Israel), together with Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli architects. Seeks to extend the development on the Israeli side of the site to the Jordanian side to create a a transborder protected area in which both Israelis & Jordanians will be able to cross the river from either side without the need for a visa. The site is 10 kilometers south of the southern tip of Lake Kinneret, at the confluence of the Yarmuk & Jordan rivers. The park area will include the former Rutenberg hydroelectric power station and the Three Bridges site.

P A R K

Future - International Peace Park, Abuja (Nigeria). Site dedicated on last day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2003. Logo represents Academic Associates PeaceWorks (AAPW). "On Monday, November 20, 2006, at about 1:45 PM a group of five gunmen entered the AAPW office compound at 116/118 Woji Road, GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and killed two individuals."