47 Peace Monuments Dedicated in 2007

Right click image to enlarge.

G R O V E

January 12, 2007 - Peace Grove, Coolidge Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee (USA). On Tennessee River. "The City of Chattanooga's special relationships with cities around the world will literally 'take root' as seven new trees are planted in Coolidge Park to replace the Slippery Elm damaged last summer. Each of the trees is native to Chattanooga's International Sister Cities & Twinning Cities & mark the beginning of a new landscape & garden called The Peace Grove: (1) Gangneung (South Korea) Ginkgo Tree, (2) Givatayim (Israel) Mediterranean Cedar, (3) Hamm (Germany) Linden Tree, (4) Nizhnii Tagil (Russia) White Birch, (5) Wuxi (China) Chinese Elm... The five trees mentioned above will be planted, landscaped & labeled (in English & in the language of their country of origin). Then on Arbor Day, March 2, two additional trees will be planted, with the help of school children, in honor of Chattanooga's Twinning Cities. (6) Swindon (United Kingdom) English Oak, and (7) Ascoli Piceno (Italy) European Hornbeam. /// As a recent visitor to our oldest Sister City, Wuxi (China), Mayor Littlefield acknowledges the significance of this effort & said, 'The Peace Grove will celebrate these cities with signature trees that will symbolize the growth & longevity of our relationships & mutual bonds between our communities." The idea for an international grove came to Gene Hyde who serves the City as Urban Forester, but also serves as a liaison for Sister City Nizhnii Tagil (Russia). Mr. Hyde said, 'Our Russian Sister City, and the many others, has challenges & interests similar to ours. We share expertise & have fostered friendships where each city can learn & gain from the other."

M U S E U M

January 18, 2007 - Museum of History & Holocaust Education (MHHE), Continuing Education Building, KSU Center, Kennesaw State University, 3333 Busbee Drive, Kennesaw, Georgia (USA). "Funded in part by the Marcus Foundation & directed by Dr. Catherine Lewis. Presents public programs & exhibitions focused on WW-II & the Holocaust in an effort to promote education & dialogue about the past & its significance today." "Organized after an incredibly successful traveling Anne Frank exhibit [2003-2006]..." ("Graduates of KSU's public history certificate program...go on to work in museums, archives & historic preservation offices & to enroll in graduate programs in history, historic preservation, non-profit management, public history & museum studies."

January 18, 2007 - "Pax Mundi II," H&R Block Headquarters, Kansas City, Missouri (USA). Conceived by Brent Collins (Gower, Missouri). Computer-modeled by Prof. Carlo H. Séquin (Computer Sciences Division, Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences Department, Uuiversitty of California, Berkeley, California). Cast, assembled and finished by Steve Reinmuth (Eugene, Oregon).

February 24, 2007 - "City of Peace," Tucson, Arizona (USA). "6’x 12’ Mobile Mural project as part of the Season of Nonviolence. Community members were invited to paint the mobile mural during the annual Tucson Peace Fair held in Reid Park. About 45 people of all ages participated throughout the day. Arranged by Michael B. Schwartz." Notice world with South Pole at top.

February 28, 2007 - National 228 Memorial Museum, 54 Nanhai Road, Taipei (Taiwan). Dedicated on the 60th anniversary of the 228 Incident of 1947. Not to be confused with the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum which is 10 years older.

March 25, 2007 - Wilberforce House, High Street, Kingston upon Hull (England). "Birthplace of William Wilberforce [1759-1833], the famous abolitionist & MP who was most influential in the abolition of slavery, which became his life's work. Like the nearby Blaydes House & Maister House, formerly a Merchant's house with access to quayside on the River Hull. Part of Hull's Museum Quarter incorporating the Nelson Mandela garden (qv). Now a museum which re-opened on 25 March 2007 after a two-year £1.6 million redevelopment, in time for the 200th anniversary of Wilberforce's Act of Parliament abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire. The new exhibition has a broad focus on the history of slavery in addition to materials relating to the life & work of Wilberforce. The front garden contains a statue of Wilberforce which underwent a £10,000 restoration to preserve it in 2011. Adjoining the site is the University of Hull's Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery & Emancipation which conducts research into historic & contemporary forms of slavery."

March 30, 2007 - "Reconciliation Triangle," Richmond, Virginia (USA). On site of former slave market. Expresses remorse for the slave trade. One of three identical monuments by Stephen Broadbent. The other two are in Benin and Liverpool, England (UK).

2007? - "Reconciliation Triangle," Cotonou? (Benin). Expresses remorse for the slave trade. One of three identical monuments by Stephen Broadbent. The other two are in Liverpool, England (UK), & Richmond, Virginia (USA).

T R E E

April 2, 2007 -"Wish Tree for Washington, DC,", Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (USA). "A public art work by Yoko Ono. Installed during the 2007 National Cherry Blossom Festival as part of her 'Imagine Peace' project. Paper is provided for the visitor to tie a wish to the tree. The work builds on the Japanese tradition of tying prayers to trees. Returning the paper back to its source evokes an offering."

T R E E

July 2010 - "Wish Tree," Sculpture Garden, Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York City, New York (USA). "Has become very popular with contributions from all over the world."

April 25, 2007 - Europe (Awakening), near the near the Lawengruppe / Lions’ Group, Tiergarten Park, Berlin (Germany). Third of five Global Stones, each weighing between 10 and 40 tons and corresponding to a “sister stone” on one of the five continents. The pairs of stones represent the five steps towards peace. Once a year on 21st June the light of the sun connects all ten stones by reflection. Wolfgang von Schwarzenfeld, sculptor and around the world navigator, began the Global Stone Project in 1997 in Venezuela. From Ekaterinen (Russia).

May 1, 2007 - International Peace Garden, Bern (Switzerland). One of many International Peace Gardens in different countries. Presented to Bern by Dublin (Ireland).

P L A Q U E

June 10, 2007 - Voice of Peace Memorial, Gordon Beach (below the Renaissance Hotel), Tel Aviv (Israel). Plaque with a speaker that plays segments of broadcasts by Abie Nathan [1927-2008] from the private floating radio station "MV Peace" which was anchored 3 miles off the coast of Tel-Aviv. Inscription: "The Voice of Peace - 1993-1973. 5 km off this shore Abie Nathan's peace ship was anchored broadcasting messages of peace, love and understanding." "On October 1, 1993, the mayor of Tel Aviv, Shlomo Lahat, went out to the ship and took part in the [last] broadcast at 13:00, he stated he would promise an anchorage for the MV Peace in Tel Aviv harbour and the ship would be rebuilt as a peace museum. The station closed with Pete Seeger's 'We shall Overcome' instead of the usual station theme... On November 28, the MV Peace set sail on her final voyage, 15 miles off the Israeli coast. The hull plugs were removed and the pumps switched on, to pump water into the ship. At 19:33 the ship sank... Now the plaque and speaker are all that remain from the Voice of Peace." John Lennon & Yoko Ono supported this station.

June 12, 2007 - "Goddess of Democracy," Victims of Communism Memorial, Washington, DC (USA). "A tribute to more than 100 million people who died as a result of revolutions, wars & atrocities committed by various communist regimes." Modeled on the 10-meter-tall (33 ft) statue created in Beijing (China) during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

October 28, 1945 - May 14, 1994 - June 15, 2007 - Freedom Court," Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum, Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site (Springwood Estate), Hyde Park, New York (USA). This is a complicated monument because it consists of three parts erected over a span of 62 years (not to mention the adjacent library & museum). "Freedom Court" includes (1) 1945 bust of FDR by Walter Russell [1871-1963], (2) 1994 "BreakFree" by artist Edwina Sandys (grand-daughter of Churchill) & (3) 2007 bust of Winston Churchill by Oscar Nemon [1906-1985]. /// Made from four segments of the Berlin Wall [1961-1989], "'BreakFree' shows the figures of a man & a woman emerging from symbolic, giant barbed wire, expressing Man's irresistible quest for freedom. Appropriately, this sculpture stands on a podium inscribed around the base with Roosevelt's 'Four Freedoms':" Freedom of speech, Freedom of worship, Freedom from want & Freedom from fear. /// Right image shows Sandys & Nemon's daughter Aurelia at 2007 dedication of the Churchill bust during a conference whose theme was "Roosevelt & Churchill: The Legacy of Two Statesmen." In foreground is the 1945 bust of FDR by Walter Russell. (Sandys' "Breakthrough" [qv] was also made from the Berlin Wall & placed at Fulton, Missouri, in 1990.) Visited by EWL on April 19, 2017.

June 15, 2007 - Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial & Statue, Central Park, Mansfield, Ohio (USA). Image shows snow & some of the yellow paint poured on the statue by vandals in January 2009.

June 21, 2007 - Commemorative Wall, Ireland Park, Eireann Quay, Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Adjoins Canada Malting Silos. "Commemorates the 38,000 Irish famine victims who landed on Toronto’s shores in 1847." /// "An imposing wall made exclusively of limestone imported from Kilkenny which has the names of those who died in 1847... Includes many of Toronto's citizens who gave their life to the Irish cause, including Bishop Michael Power."

June 29, 2007 - Tehran Peace Monument, City Park, Tehran (Irân). Unveiled on the 20th anniverary of the chemical attack on the town of Sardashi in northwestern Iran. Depicts a white dove mounted on a marble pedestal and decorated by a message in six languages: "That terrible suffering gave us a new understanding of the cruelty of war, the terror of weapons of mass destruction, and the importance of peace. Until the day when all people on Earth can live in peace, we will continuously send messages of peace to the world."

2007 - "Conversation à Nice," place Masséna, Nice (France). "Jaume Plensa inaugure sur la place emblématique de Nice le long du parcours du nouveau tramway un groupe de sculptures intitulé Conversation à Nice. Il s'agit de sept personnages assis ou accroupis à la manière des scribes de l'antiquité (et assimilés souvent à tort à des bouddhas) disposés sur des perches métalliques d'une dizaine de mètres de hauteur, et réalisés en résine blanche opaque qui s'illuminent la nuit et prennent alternativement, progressivement et de façon aléatoire les couleurs les unes des autres. En effet, les statues symbolisent les sept communautés des sept continents et les variations d'éclairage leurs échanges réciproques, porteurs de richesse et de beauté."

Summer 2007 - Ambassador of Peace Monument, Central Park, Burnaby, British Columbia (Canada). Also known as Kapyong Korean War Memorial. "Recognizes the 36 servicemen from British Columbia who made the supreme sacrifice during the Korean War 1950/53 & during the Peacekeeping period 1953/56. Their names will be engraved on the Central Park Memorial, including rank, surname, given Names, decorations & unit. Total Canadian casualties were 516 killed, 1558 wounded, & countless others suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome. Approximately 100 servicemen from British Columbia were wounded during the Korean War. Korea remains as Canada’s third bloodiest war, after WWI & WWII & just ahead of the South African War, the last colonial war more than a century ago. Canadian servicemen & women are putting their lives in harm’s way at this very moment in Afghanistan. The Korean War, often called the Forgotten War, is worthy of a thought or two by Canadians." Click here for the Battle of Kapyong. Photo made on June 25, 2011.

2007 - Taipei Human Rights Culture Park, Jingmei, near Taipei (Taiwan). "For research on human rights in Taiwan & Asia." Site of former Jingmei Military Detention Centre. Dedicated by president Chen Shui-bian on Human Rights Day. Jingmei is in southwest suburban Taipei.

2007 - Peace Park, National 228 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. How related to National 228 Memorial Museum?

2007 - Monument pour la Paix / Peace Monument, Borough Villeray, Saint-Michel, Montreal, Quebec (Canada).

2007 - "Gift of Cain," Fen Court, off Fenchurch Street, London (England). " Incorporates 17 cylindrical granite columns erected before a granite platform." Marks the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. Sculpted by Michael Visocchi who worked with Lemin Sissay, whose poem combines stock exchange jargon with the Biblical story of Cain & Abel and referecnes to William Wilberforce [1759-1833]. Unveiled by Desmond Tutu. John Newton [1725-1807] preached in the nearby church of St. Mary Woolnoth. Info courtesy of Valerie Flessati (2012). This is 1 of 45 monuments in her "Peace Trails through London," page 15.

2007 - "Memorial To The Civilians of East London [in the] 2nd World War 1939-1945," Hermitage Memorial Garden, Wapping, London (England). Dove of peace sculpted by Wendy Taylor. 20,000 ordinary Londoners lost their lives during the Blitz, with a further 10,000 being killed by the infamous V1 and V2 rockets later in the war. "Sadly, the memorial has fallen victim to vandalisation by local youths." Image looks east from the Thames Riverside Path with the shape of the Dove's wings mirrored in the building to the left.

P A I N T

2007 - "Palestinian Pietà." Where is this painting by Belgian political artist, cartoonist & illustrator Ben Heine? "The woman represented here is Jewish American rights activist Anna Baltzer. The illustration is inspired by the famous Michelangelo's Pietà." /// "What Heine refers to as his academic visual research on the limits of freedom of speech in political cartoons lead to controversy. Due to the pro-Palestinian & anti Zionism nature of some of Heine's political art & his participation in a 2006 competition calling for Holocaust-related cartoons on the Iranian website Irancartoon.com, Heine has been accused of anti-Semitism by critics, including the Belgian satirical weekly magazine Pere UBU & the Institute for Global Jewish Affairs."

M U R A L

2007 - Edward Said Mural, Cesar Chavez Student Union, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California (USA). By Fayeq Oweis & Susan Greene. Edward Said [1935-2003] "was a Palestinian-American literary theorist, advocate for Palestinian rights, Professor of English & Comparative Literature at Columbia University & a founding figure in postcolonialism. Robert Fisk described him as the Palestinians' 'most powerful political voice.'"

S C U L P T U R E 2007 - Leon Blum memorial, Kibbutz Kfar Blum, Hula Valley, Upper Galilee (Israel). Founded in November 1943 primarily by Jews from the UK, South Africa, the USA & Baltic countries, the kibbutz was named for Leon Blum [1872-1950], socialist theoritician & 3-time prime minister of France who was tried during World War II & imprisioned in Germany.

2007? - Peace Bell, City Hall, 500 Donald Street East, Thunder Bay, Ontario (Canada). "Thunder Bay & Gifu City (Japan) have had a formal Sister City relationship since 2007. On July 9 every year, the anniversary of the day in which air raids occurred in Gifu, the Peace Bell is rung in the hope of creating a world of mutual harmony & prosperity,” Shigemitsu Hosoe, [Mayor of] Gifu City, said in a statement. 'I hope that you & those in your city can share our wish, and that the ringing of the Peace Bell opens up an opportunity to tell the future generations of the importance of peace.' /// Commented Mayor Keith Hobbs [of Thunder Bay], 'Every year, we celebrate [the sister city] relationship, as well as call for world peace, during this ceremony, held at the same time in Thunder Bay & Gifu City. As our peace bell rings throughout our downtown south core, the tolling of Gifu City’s peace bell sounds throughout their streets, as well.'"

July 3, 2007 - Headquarters building, African Union (AU), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). On site of an infamous prison where former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam executed 60 top officials of the late Emperor Haile Selassie. Fully financed by the Chinese government for around $150 million. "We wish everyone will like it," said Chinese architect Ren Lizhi at the opening of the 9th AU Summit.

July 13, 2007 - Frederick Douglass–Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge, Genesee River, Rochester, New York (USA). Informally called the Freddie-Sue Bridge & known as the Troup–Howell Bridge until July 13, 2007. A triple steel arch bridge carrying Interstate 490 (I-490) over the Genesee River & New York State Route 383 (Exchange Boulevard) in downtown Rochester. The bridge, officially completed on June 18, 2007, replaced a 50-year old multi-girder bridge situated in the same location. Former slave Frederick Douglass & Susan B. Anthony lived in Rochester at the same time.

August 4, 2007 - World Peace Bell, Hieizan Enryaku-ji Temple, Mount Hiei, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture (Japan), near Kyoto. Dedicated at 20th annual Interreligious Gathering of Prayer for World Peace sponsored by "Nihon Shukyo Daihyosha Kaigi" (Japanese Conference of Religions). Nearby rival, Onjoji (Miidera) Temple, has the temple bell alleged to have been stolen (and returned) by mythic warior monk Benkei [1155-1189].

August 6, 2007 - Escultura Angel de La Esperanza / Angel of Hope & Messenger of Peace, Frente a los Arcos del Malecón, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (Mexico). "This bronze work of the sculptor Héctor Montes García was inaugurated by the Municipal President Javier Bravo Carbajal. It was placed in the same place as another sculpture of an angel in carved stone that had been demolished by Hurricane Kenna in 2002. In its plate the following legend can be read: Angel of Hope & Messenger of Peace. Always hoping for a Wellness & Equality for All Wisdom, Love & All Peace to All Humanity." [Google translation from Spanish]

T E M P L E

August 2007 - BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta, 460 Rockbridge Road, Liburn, Georgia (USA). "Sixth BAPS traditional Hindu stone temple built outside of India. Also the largest Hindu temple of its kind outside of India. Currently open to the public. The 32,000-square-foot (3,000 m2) temple sits on 30 acres (120,000 m2). With hand-carved stone spires that tower 75 feet (23 m), it is the tallest building in Lilburn. More than 1,300 craftsmen & 900 volunteers worked to assemble34,450-piece stone temple. More than 4,500 tons of Italian Carrara marble, 4,300 tons of Turkish limestone & 3,500 tons of Indian pink sandstone were quarried & shipped to craftsmen in India, then to Georgia. The traditional design features custom-carved stonework, a wraparound veranda & five prominent pinnacles reminiscent of the Himalayan hills. Built at an estimated cost of $19 million. Surpasses BAPS temples in Houston, Chicago & Toronto. /// "BAPS" = Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a major organization within the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism.

August 22, 2007 - International Slavery Museum, Liverpool (England). Has three main galleries: Life in West Africa, Enslavement and the Middle Passage, and Legacies of Slavery. One of only 4 "musuems for peace" in the UK (vs. about 70 in the USA).

August 29, 2007 - Bust of Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square, London (England). Stands alongside images of Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli & Abraham Lincoln. At unveiling, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said, "Long after we are forgotten, you will be remembered for having taught the world one amazing truth: That you can achieve justice without vengeance."

August 30, 2007 - Memorial to Deserters, Theaterhaus, Stuttgart (Germany). Smaller "postive" figure in front of larger "negative" figure. Awaits a more permanent location in downtown Stuttgart. NB: More than 15,000 men were executed for desertion by the Nazi regime. This monument was opposded by all political parties. The federal government argued that "Deserters are people who avoid their responsibility to the community." Info & Image from Mark Hatlie.

September 21, 2007 - Tehran Peace Museum, North gate, City Park (Parke shahr), Tehran (Iran). An initiative of the Society for Chemical Weapons Victims Support (SCWVS) led by Dr. Shahriar Khateri (doctor who studied Iraq chemical attacks), assisted by the Dayton International Peace Museum of Dayton, Ohio (USA). Opened on International Day for Peace. New building (seen in images) was opened on June 29, 2011, 24th anniverary of the chemical attack on the town of Sardashi in northwestern Iran. The Tehran Peace Monument (qv) was unveiled June 29, 2007, 150 meters from the museum. Affiliated with the Iranian Affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). Member of International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP).

September 27, 2007 - "World of Peace," Kompong Thom (Cambodia). "Depicts three catfish with a globe balancing on the nose of the highest leaping fish." Made out of old guns and weapons that had been used by the Khmer Rouge.

September 30, 2007 - Mount Shasta Community Peace Mural, Visitor's Bureau Park, Mount Shasta, California (USA). 8 feet by 20 feet mural depicts what various community members see as their "Vision of Peace." Sponsored by the Siskiyou Arts Council (SAC).

October 7, 2007 - Denkmal "PeaceWomen," Stadt Soltau, Lower Saxony (Germany). Friedensskulptur / Peace Sculpture by Christin van Talis. Related to the Peace Women Across the Globe (PWAG) project, Peace Women Worldwide, and the Women's Interntional Legue for Peace & Freedom (WILPF).

October 7, 2007 - Nicholas Roerich Museum, Novosibirsk, Siberia (Russia). "Carries out extensive cultural and educational activities: exhibitions, literary and musical slaydprogrammy, social and scientific conferences , round tables, concerts. In the museum exhibition includes photographs from the archives of the Roerich family of Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York, reproductions of paintings of Nicholas & Svetoslav Roerich, as well as temporary exhibitions of other artists , various other exhibits. [Google translation]"

October 9, 2007 - "Naga for Peace & Development," Batambang (Cambodia). "I followed the river down to a large square surrounding a large metal sculpture of (you guessed it) Naga. As I approached the statue, it began to look a little bizarre, as if crafted from many small pieces. It turns out that the large statue is made out of old guns & weapons that had been used by the Khmer Rouge."

October 30, 2007 - World Peace Bell Park, Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province (South Korea). "Project started in 2005 with an idea of Mr. Jeong Gap-cheol, the elected executive of Hwacheon County. The Peace Bell, which will hang in the park, is to be cast next year from spent bullets and shells from many of the world's armed conflicts."

November 14, 2007 - Statue of Mahatma Gandhi sitting & reading a book, Ariana Park, Geneva (Switzerland). A gift of the Indian Government to the City of Geneva commemorating the 60th anniversary of Indo-Swiss friendship (Treaty of Amity, August 14, 1948). Inscribed "Ma vie est mon message. My life is my message."

Another such statue. Where is it? Eucalyptus trees in background?

December 3, 2007 - Africa (Hope), near the near the Lawengruppe / Lions’ Group, Tiergarten Park, Berlin (Germany). Fourth of five Global Stones, each weighing between 10 and 40 tons and corresponding to a “sister stone” on one of the five continents. The pairs of stones represent the five steps towards peace. Once a year on 21st June the light of the sun connects all ten stones by reflection. Wolfgang von Schwarzenfeld, sculptor and around the world navigator, began the Global Stone Project in 1997 in Venezuela. From Bertanie Quarry (South Africa). Placed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.