Top Ten Peace Monuments (Or Maybe More) - One person's opinion

Right click image to enlarge.

T E M P L E

January 30, 9 BC - Ara Pacis Augustae / Altar of Augustan Peace, Rome (Italy). Built by Roman emperor Augustus Caesar [63 BC - 14 AD]. Enclosed in 2006 by new building designed by American architect Richard Meier (seen in right image).

S C U L P T

1878 - Naval Peace Monument, The Mall, Washington, DC (USA). Commemorates role of US Navy during the Civil War. Facing the US Capitol is Peace, a classical figure draped from the waist down and holding an olive sprig. The monuments's other alegorical figures are Grief, History & Victory.

P A L A C E

August 28, 1913 - Vredespaleis / Peace Palace, 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.

P A R K

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

G A R D E N

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." Includes 20-foot concrete Peace Tower, Peace Chapel, and 911 Memorial. Click here for Wikipedia article. Entry #1209 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

P A I N T I N G

1937 - Guernica, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS), Madrid (Span). Painted by Pablo Picasso [1881-1973]. Commisisoned by the government of Spain for the Paris International Exposition. Full sized tapistry at the United Nations in New York City. Another copy at Gernika Peace Museum.

B E L L

June 8, 1954 - Japanese Peace Bell, West Court Garden, Secretariat Building, United Nations (UN), New York City, New York (USA). Cast by Chiyuoji Nakagawa on OIctober 24, 1952. Gift to the UN from the UN Association of Japan. Created by Chiyoji Nakagawa and cast at "the Tada Factory" (Japan). Rung on the Vernal Equinox and on 21 September to coincide with the opening of the UN General Assembly and the International Day of Peace. Click here for Wikipedia article. Image is UN postage stamp commemorating the bell's 50th anniversary in 2004. Entry #756 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

P A R K

M U S E U M

August 6, 1955 - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima (Japan). Click here for Wikipedia article. The Genbaku Dome (severly damaged by the bomb) was designated a World Heritage Site in 1996. The Park also contains the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Hiroshima Peace Bell, and many other peace monuments. Image shows the cenotaph (right) and Hiroshima Boys Choir (left) during the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6 (Hiroshima Day).

P A R K

M U S E U M

August 9, 1955 - Nagasaki Peace Park, Matsuyama-machi, Nagasaki (Japan). Image shows 10-meter-tall Peace Statue created by sculptor Seibou Kitamura. The Atomic Bomb Museum, 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.

S C U L P T

Date? - "Gyarah Murti / Eleven Figures," Willingdon Crescent at Sardar Patel Marg, New Delhi (India). Sculpture by Devi Prasad Roy Choudhary. Depicts Mahatma Gandhi [1869-1948] leading the Salt Satyagraha / Salt March from Ahmadabad to Dandi in 1930. Image of the sculpture is on the 500 rupee banknote. Click here for one attempt to identify the ten figures other than Gandhi. Click here for air view.

T A B L E T S

1987 - Monument to Disarmament, Work & Peace, University for Peace (UPAZ / UPEACE), Ciudad Colón, 30 kms southwest of San Jose (Costa Rica). By Cuban artist Thelvia Marín. Honors Costa Ricans who have made outstanding efforts in building and maintaining peace. "World's largest peace monument."

T A B L E T S

1995 - Cornerstone of Peace, Mabuni, Okinawa (Japan). Site of bloodiest battle in human history. Trys to list all the names (both military and civilian) from all countries involved in the battle. As of June 2008, it contains 240,734 names. Click here for the Wikipedia article.

B E L L

December 31, 1999 - World Peace Bell, Newport, Kentucky (USA) -- just across Ohio River from Cincinnatti, Ohio. World's largest free-swinging bell. Dedicated on the eve of the new millennium. Cast in France in 1998 for the Verdin Company of Cincinnatti. Not associated with World Peace Bell Association (Japan). Entry #355 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001). Click here for air view.

W A L L

March 30, 2000 - Mur Pour la Paix / Wall for Peace, Champs de Mars, Paris (France). Between the Ecole militaire and the Eiffel Tower. Designed by Clara Halter who also designed the Peace Tower in St. Petersburg (2003) and the Gates of Peace in Hiroshima (2005).