24 Peace Monuments Related to Terrorism

Click here for monuments related to 9/11.
Click here for monuments related to reconciliation.
Click here for Wikipedia list of non-state terrorist incidents.
Click here for "Great Monuments and Memorials of Terrorist Attacks Around the World."
Click here for Wikipedia images of "Monuments and memorials to deaths from terrorism in Israel."

M U S E U M

1987 - Topographie des Terrors / Topography of Terror, Niederkirchnerstrasse (former Prinz Albrecht Strasse), Berlin (Germany). An outdoor museum located on the site of Gestapo and SS headquarters (1933-1945). Largely destroyed by Allied bombing in early 1945. Ruins demolished after the war. The first exhibitions of the site took place in 1987 as part of Berlin's 750th anniversary. Cellar of the Gestapo headquarters, where many political prisoners were tortured & executed, were found & excavated. Site was then turned into a memorial & museum. In 1992, two years after German reunification, a foundation was established to take care of the site." After many delays, a new documentation center was opened in 2010 (qv). [Ian Buruma (1994), "The Wages of Guilt," pp. 206-9.]

M U S E U M

1993 - Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Strelnieku laukums 1, Riga (Latvia) "Shows what happened to Latvia, its land and people under two occupyng totalitarian regimes from 1940 to 1991. Reminds the world of the crimes committed by foreign powers against the state and people of Latriva. Remembes the victims of the occupation, those who perished, were persecuted, forcefully deported or fled the terror of the occuption regimes."

1998 - Monumento a la Paz y a la Concordia / Monument to Peace and Agreement, Plaza de la Vírgen, Valencia (Spain). By José Puche. A homage to the victims of terrorism. An inscription quotes Juan Luis Vives [1493-1540]: "Peace and harmony are daughters of reason and mind." Un homenaje a las victimas del terrrorismo. Una inscripción dice: "La Paz y la Concordia son hijas de la razon y de la mente."

Date? - Arco Iris por la Paz / Rainbow for Peace, near Visma, La Coruña, Galicia (Spain). Honors the victims of terrorism. "This is the actual title of the sculpture. Undoubtedly, at the appropriate point. A beautiful place."

1998 - Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial, Mount Herzl, Jerusalem (Israel). Memorializes all victims of terrorism in modern Israel & the pre-state Land of Israel, from 1851 until the present. In 1998, the Israeli remembrance day was officially renamed the Remembrance Day for Fallen Soldiers & the Victims of Terror.

April 1, 1999 - Peace Monument, between Cavan (Republic of Ireland) & Enniskillin (Northern Ireland). "After the ribbons were cut at the opening of the bridge, Lord Dubs, Minister Dempsey unveiled a sculpture with the name 'PEACE FOR ALL' by the sculptor Derek A. Fitz Simons from Newbridge, County Kildare. [It] represents a life-size warrior who is both tired of war, and the futility of further slaughter of conscious & is gently embraced by his partner, who is the mother of Ireland & has the strength to catch him & to comfort... The sculpture sends out this statement: "Do we want to continue the way we are going or look at ourselves and try to resolve the situation?" The female figure represents peace, the male figure is naked to highlight the equality of all people, Protestants & Catholics, blacks & whites."

December 10, 1999 - Green Island Monument, Green Island (Taiwan). "Memorializes individuals who Taiwan's former rulers imprisoned there for their political beliefs during what is known as the White Terror period." Dedicated by president Lee Teng-Hui who apologized to the vicitims of Green Island. Part of the eventual Green Island Memorial Park was opened at the same time. Green Island is 33 km off Taiwan's southeast coast.

April 19, 2000 - Room of Hope, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (USA). Final room in the memorial commemorating the victims of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. Design based on the story of Sadako Sasaki. An exhibit explains who she was, and the ceiling is entirely covered with brass peace cranes.

2004 - Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab (the CELL), Denver, Colorado (USA). A non-profit institution dedicated to educating citizens on global terrorism threats. "The only one if its kind, the exhibit is a dynamic, interactive experience with content developed by world-renowned experts that provides visitors with an in-depth understanding of the history of terrorism, the methods terrorists employ & the extent to which terrorism impacts societies around the world."

2004 - Memorial Stone to the Innocent Victims of the Red Terror, opposite Unity House, Daugavpils (Latvia). Close to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sculpted by J. Volkova. "The Red Terror was a campaign of mass killings, torture, and systematic oppression conducted by the Bolsheviks after the beginning of the Russian Civil War in 1918." STONE LATVIA 2004

After 2004 - "Kind Angel of Peace," Beslan, Pravoberezhny District, Republic of North Ossetia–Alania (Russia). "Architectural and sculptural composition "Kind Angel of Peace" in memory of the victims of the terrorist act at school No. 1 in September 2004."

Date? - "Kind Angel of Peace," "Fallen Monument Park," Moscow (Russia). "This park was formerly called Park of the Fallen Heroes. In Russian, the park is either simply named Sculpture Park of the Central House of Artists or referred to by its legal title, Muzeon Park of Arts."

Date? - "In Memory of the Victims of Terror from Afula," Afula, North District (Jezreel Valley), (Israel). "Due to Afula’s proximity to the West Bank, it has been a target for Palestinian political violence. On 6 April 1994, the Afula Bus suicide bombing killed five people in the center of Afula. In the Afula axe attack in November 1994, a 19-year-old female soldier was attacked and murdered by an axe-wielding Arab militant. Afula also was the target of a suicide attack on a bus on 5 March 2002, in which one person died & several others were injured at Afula’s central bus station. In the Afula mall bombing on 19 May 2003, a woman suicide bomber blew herself up at the Amakim mall, killing three & wounding 70. On 17 July 2006, Hezbollah fired Katyusha rockets at Afula, one of the southernmost rocket attacks on Israel from Lebanon. Six people were treated for shock as a result of the rocket. On 28 July, a rocket landed causing a fire. The rocket carried 100 kilograms of explosives"

May 2005 - War on Terror Memorial, Hermitage, Mercer County, Pennsylvania (USA). Near Youngstown. "In the center of the Avenue of 444 Flags. 12 steel & glass monuments, each 12 feet tall by 4 feet wide, in a circle around a beautiful fountain. The first 2 feet of the towers are stainless steel; above are five glass panels, each 2 feet high by 4 feet wide. Etched in the dark glass are the names of all [US] military personnel who have died in the War on Terror since 1975."

September 11, 2006 - "To the Struggle Against World Terrorism," Bayonne, New Jersey (USA). Also known as the Tear of Grief & the Tear Drop Memorial. "...opened to the anthems of Russia & the USA. On the bank of the Hudson River [facing the Statue of Liberty & Lower Manhattan], is a split 30-meter bronze plate with a giant tear made of titanium. The names of almost 3 thousand people killed on September, 11, 2001, are engraved on the monument. ...gift of Russian people, so sculptor Zurab Tsereteli who also and his colleagues took all the expenses on its erection up [sic]." Tsereteli also sculpted the statue of "Good Defeats Evil" (qv) at UN headquarters in 1990.

October 12, 2006 - Bali Memorial, Clive Steps (opposite St. James's Park), London (England). A 5-foot marble globe with 202 doves csrved onto its surface (one dove for each victim). Sculpted by Gerry Breeze & Martin Cook. Dedicated by Prince of Wales & the Duchess of Cornwall on the 4th anniversary of the nightclub bombings in Bali (Indonesia). One of 309 London monuments in Kershman (2007), page 53.

After 2002 - Bali Bombing Memorial, Kuta, Bali (Indonesia). Also known as Peace Memorial? Kuta is one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations and site of bombings on October 12, 2002 (202 killed), and October 1, 2005 (26 killed). See Bali Monument in London (England)

2007 - Vandalized in May 2010 - Air India Memorial Sundial, remote corner of Humber Bay East Park, Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario (Canada). "A vandalized monument that honours 329 victims of an Air India terrorist bombing [on June 23, 1985] will be restored in time to mark next month’s 25th anniversary of what was Canada’s worst air disaster. Members of the East Indian community are outraged that someone has stolen a stainless steel 'gnomon' or 'shadow caster' that produces a shadow on a memorial sundial when lit by the sun. The thieves also used black paint to spray graffiti on the face of the sundial."

July 7, 2009 - 7/7 Memorial, Hyde Park, London (England). A £1m memorial to the 52 people killed in the bombings in London on July 7, 2005. Consists of 52 stainless steel 3-meter pillars, one for each victim. These are grouped in four clusters, to mark the four locations of the attacks: Tavistock Square, Edgware Road, King's Cross and Aldgate. There is also a 1.4 tonne stainless steel plaque with the names of all those who were killed. At the dedication the Prince of Wales said: "The creation of a monument or memorial fulfils … a deeper need, for each one offers a path to peace and healing, each one honours the dead and each reminds us to live our lives in a way that would make them proud."

2010 - 'Red Terror' Martyrs Memorial Museum (RTMMM), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). Motto: "Never Ever Again." "The Ethiopian Red Terror, or Qey Shibir of 1977–1978, was a violent political campaign in Ethiopia & Eritrea that most visibly took place after Communist Mengistu Haile Mariam achieved control of the Derg, the military junta, on 3 February 1977. In December 2006, Mengistu was convicted in absentia for his role in the Red Terror... It is estimated that between 30,000 & 500,000 people were killed..."

P A L A C E

January 28, 2012 - Shanthi Mahal / Global Peace Palace, Thumboli, near Alappuzha, Kerala State (India). "Chief minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate Global Peace Palace, a monument for war heroes and victims of terror attacks built by AKB Kumar, an ex-service man, at Thumboli on January 27. The construction of the monument, a replica of Agra's Taj Mahal, started on January 28, 2008. 'I have spent Rs1.25 crore for constructing this monument dedicated to India's war heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation,' said 61-year-old Kumar at a press conference here on Friday. Kumar was a chief petty officer in the Indian Navy. He had joined the Navy at the age of 15. During his 18 years of service, he participated in the Indo-Pak war in 1971. 'During that war, I lost some of my friends. It was then that I decided to set up a monument for war heroes. But then I did not have enough money for the purpose. Later, I joined as fire and safety engineer at Kochi Refineries and spent all my savings for constructing this monument. I even had to take a bank loan for completing the structure,' he said. Kumar retired from Kochi Refineries last April. The Global Peace Palace has four minarets representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and other forces. The central portion of the structure is dedicated to the victims of terror attacks. Kumar said people could visit the monument free of cost, and that he had sought government help for its protection." /// Click here for more informtion.

August 29, 2012 - Memorial to Munich Massacre, Nazareth Illit (Israel). Commomorates massacre of 11 Israeli atheletes at the Munich Olympic Games on September 5, 1972. Photo by Dr. Avishai Teicher.

Date? - Munich Massacre Memorial, Tel Aviv (Israel). Commomorates massacre of 11 Israeli atheletes at the Munich Olympic Games on September 5, 1972.

June 15, 2013 - "Paraboloide," Parque Johan Galtung, L'Alfàs del Pi, Alicante (Spain). "Sculptural piece five meters in length & 4.55 ton. Erected in front of the Norwegian Cultural Center (now under construction)." /// "Today Alfaz Mayor Vicente Arques unveiled a monument by the famous Basque sculptor Agustin Ibarrola in memory of the victims of the Oslo & Utoya terrorist attacks [on July 22, 2011]. The monument is located in a park named in honor of a long time Alfaz resident, Prof. Johan Galtung, Norwegian by birth & known as ‘the father of peace studies.’" /// "L'Alfàs del Pi has the highest proportion of Norwegian speakers of any settlement anywhere in the world outside of Norway."

March 11, 2014 - Atocha Railway Station Memorial, Madrid (Spain). For the victims of the Madrid train bombings on 11 March 2004. Marks the 10th anniversary of the attack that claimed 191 lives & injured more than 1800 others. Ten bombs exploded on board four commuter trains. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the blasts, which it said were punishment for Spain‘s role in the US-led invasion of Iraq." /// "The 11 m tall (36 ft) cylinder stands above Atocha station, the destination of the four trains that were attacked. Thousands of messages of condolence made in the days after the attacks are inscribed on the inside of the tower. The messages of grief can be seen from a chamber beneath the hollow monument..."