Peace museums of the world

Prayers from the heart have no borders

"Anne Frank House" in Amsterdam is a museum that was established by renovating the house where Anne Frank (1929-1945) once hid with her family to escape from the Nazis.

The museum, which opened in 1960, displays Anne's original diary and the bookcase which led to the secret room where the family hid. Through its exhibits, the museum stresses the dangers of discrimination, including anti-Semitism, as well as the importance of freedom, equality, and democracy.

One exhibit, entitled "Free 2 Choose," enables visitors to express their opinions on certain issues. For example, a question concerning the clash of human rights asks "Is it acceptable to publish a comic book in Denmark that satirizes the prophet Muhammad if many Islamic countries object?" Visitors can then choose from two options and check further information for each response. (Manami Yamamoto, 13)

7.5 euro for adults (about 890 yen), 3.5 euro for youth over 10 years old (about 420 yen), and free for children under 10.

The Anti-War Museum is located in Berlin and was founded by German pacifist Ernst Friedrich (1894-1967) in 1925. Tommy Spree, the director of the museum and Friedrich's grandson, says that the Anti-War Museum is the oldest existing peace museum in Europe.

Friedrich had been involved in activities to resist militarism since he was young and his publication of a children's book entitled "War Against War," describing the horror of World War I, brought him wide renown. With donations from the public, he bought a building and established this museum. Although the Nazis once destroyed the building, it was eventually rebuilt and the museum reopened in 1982. It continues to feature exhibitions that protest conflict and war.

The items on display include old artifacts, such as a soldier's helmet, that have been preserved since the museum was first opened. The building is connected to an actual air-raid shelter used in World War II, another element which enables visitors to feel the atmosphere of that time. (Reika Konno, 14)

The Anti-War Museum first opened in 1925 and was reopened in 1982. More than 4,000 people visited the museum in 2007. No admission fee.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum is located in Geneva. It was established with the purpose of keeping records of humanitarian aid activities to trace the history of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement.

Because the term "cross" cannot be used in the Islamic world, "Red Crescent" is used instead, but its mission and activities are the same as the Red Cross. The museum contains more than 24,000 documents and items, such as educational films about health management and first aid.

There is also a section for young people to think about how they can provide support to victims of landmines or natural disasters or families separated by war. By speaking with museum staff or using the internet, these young visitors can find answers to their questions. (Masashi Muro, 16)

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum opened in 1988. In 2007, there were 102,606 visitors. Admission is 10 Swiss Franc for adults (about 810 yen), 5 Swiss Franc for students and retirees, and free for children.

The International Museum of Peace and Solidarity is located in the old Uzbek city of Samarkand. This museum has been very active in promoting nuclear abolition, such as holding an A-bomb exhibition about Hiroshima and Nagasaki and collecting signatures for a petition to abolish nuclear weapons.

The museum was founded by director Anatoly Ionesov in 1986, the United Nations International Year of Peace, with the mission of contributing to peace education.

Museum staff talk to visitors about Sadako Sasaki, the inspiration for the Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima, and offer peace education workshops which include teaching children how to fold a paper crane.

There are items from over 100 countries on display, including earth from Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, an A-bombed roof tile from Nagasaki, a piece of the Berlin Wall, and metal pieces of missiles from the United States and the former Soviet Union that were designed to carry nuclear warheads.

The museum once organized a photo exhibition of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and collected signatures to support the Uzbekistan government in its efforts to realize a nuclear-free zone for Central Asia. (Masashi Muro, 16)

The International Museum of Peace and Solidarity opened in 1986. It contains about 20,000 items. There is no admission fee and the number of visitors is not recorded.

The Center for Coexistence is located in the former capital city of Colombo in southwestern Sri Lanka. Photos and other items which relate the nation's history, including periods when it was colonized and engaged in civil war, are on display.

The museum is currently housed in a rented facility, but there are plans to construct a building for the museum in the future. Since April of this year, the museum has been holding an exhibition of photos entitled "Paradise in Tears" which depicts Sri Lanka's history from 1815 to 1994.

The exhibition consists of about 500 photos, including pictures of residents laboring on the construction of a rail line during the time Sri Lanka was a British colony as well as victims of civil war with Tamil extremists. Through their displays, the museum seeks to educate children and teach them about history.

The website of the museum includes several pages for children, including a quiz about people who have been champions of peace. (Manami Yamamoto, 13)

The Center for Coexistence was founded in 2007. About 500 photos are on display. No admission fee is required and the museum is open, by appointment, to schools and NGOs.

The No More Hiroshima/No More Nagasaki Peace Museum, located in Nagpur, India, conveys the terror and devastating power of nuclear weapons.

India and neighboring Pakistan seem to be locked in a contest to develop nuclear weapons. At the same time, it is said that most Indian citizens are not clearly aware of the destructive impact that nuclear weapons can have on the human body and the environment.

The museum holds 86 photos which depict the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as nuclear tests conducted by India, the United States, and Russia. The items related to Hiroshima were donated by Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and a group of A-bomb survivors. A film of testimonies by survivors is screened in the museum.

Special efforts are also made to include students and youth. The museum staff visit schools to show students their materials and communicate the message that peace is a very fragile thing and can be easily destroyed by nuclear weapons. (Nao Tatsugawa, 16)

The No More Hiroshima/No More Nagasaki Peace Museum opened in 1997. 40,286 people visited the museum in 2007. No admission fee.

The Children's PEACE Center is a traveling museum that promotes such things as peacemaking and the prevention of violence for youth. Their exhibitions are held at public facilities in the United States and Canada, and a series of lessons take place over a period of a few weeks. The organization does not maintain its own facilities for permanent display.

The Children's PEACE Center is engaged in a variety of activities, such as field trips for schools, peace festivals for communities, puppets that teach children about conflict resolution, and the arts used for peace education. These activities seek to nurture communication skills and encourage the appreciation of cultural diversity.

As the United States is faced with the fact that even small children in the inner city may become involved in gangs, the Children's PEACE Center provides opportunities for children to gain the knowledge and skills that can keep them out of harm's way and enable them to resolve conflicts peacefully. These activities are supported by parents and local volunteers who work closely with small groups of children. (Aoi Otomo, 14)

The Children's PEACE Center launched its work in 1996. From 5,000 to 10,000 people take part in the organization's activities each year. The participation fee is $7.50 dollars per child (about 710 yen), but the cost varies depending on the activity.

At the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, photos of the victims can be found along with their names and their experiences of the bombing. In contrast to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which features A-bombed artifacts, this facility focuses on conveying the human side to the bomb's devastation.

More than 80,000 survivors, including those from Nagasaki, have contributed the accounts of 130,000 A-bomb experiences. Accounts that were once broadcast on the radio can be heard here. And the photos of about 13,000 victims can be viewed.

Public readings of A-bomb experiences are held every third Sunday of the month. For visitors from abroad, readings in English are organized, too.

Museum staff are still engaged in collecting accounts of the bombing from survivors. For those survivors who are unable to write down the stories themselves, staff members will visit with them to talk. Survivors who have found it difficult to share their experiences are also asked if they may now be ready to speak. (Aoi Otomo, 14)

The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims opened in 2002. In 2007, there were 210,508 visitors. A-bomb victims registered at the Hall number 16,006 (as of October 25, 2008). There is no admission fee.

Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum is located in the city of Itoman. During World War II, Okinawa became a battlefield where all residents of Okinawa were mobilized and 94,000 civilians were killed. The museum is on Mabuni Hill, site of the final fierce battle, and the building stands facing the Cornerstone of Peace which is inscribed with the names of the dead. The special focus of the museum is the perspective of civilians in connection with the fighting on Okinawa.

Visitors can learn about Okinawa during wartime by watching documentary films shot by the U.S. military and seeing a model of a cave in which residents took refuge. The written testimonies of about 600 people are available at the museum.

The museum organizes a special exhibition for children four times a year, including a "Peace Message Exhibition," which displays the poetry and writing of elementary school and junior high school students, and an exhibition designed to deepen children's awareness of international issues. (Nao Tatsugawa, 16)

Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum opened in 1975 and was renovated in 2000. In 2007, there were 439,496 visitors. Admission is 300 yen for adults, 150 yen for college students and older children, and free for children under 6.

The peace museum named "Grass Roots House" in the city of Kochi is funded by rental income and annual membership fees of 3000 yen for adults. The museum does not receive subsidies from the city or prefectural governments. The museum is used as a base for local citizens' activities, such as an office space for peace events.

The museum occupies the first and second floors of a four-story building made of reinforced concrete, built on the site of the house of the museum's first director, the late Shigeo Nishimori. Rooms on the third and fourth floors are rented out and this income is used for the administrative costs of the museum.

In 1979, a group of 30 people, including Mr. Nishimori, organized an exhibition about wartime air raids in Kochi and the strong response to this exhibition led to a movement to establish a permanent anti-war museum. This was the impetus for founding Grass Roots House. A committee to construct the building was then organized and fundraising began. By downscaling the size of Mr. Nishimori's house, enough land was made available for the museum, which opened in 1989. The current director, Masahiro Okamura, took over as the museum's second director in 2005.

From 200 to 300 items are on display. The museum staff selects items that children can readily comprehend, such as magazines, equipment for disaster prevention, and army canteens. (Reika Konno, 14)

Grass Roots House opened in 1989. There were about 3,000 visitors in 2007. No admission fee.

"Kanagawa Plaza for Global Citizenship (Earth Plaza)" was established in the city of Yokohama with the mission of fostering international citizens who will act within their own capacity to help resolve the problems of the world. In 1987, then Governor Ichiji Nagasu, who advocated the idea of "people-to-people diplomacy" and was avidly involved in international exchange efforts, inspired the vision for this museum.

There are three exhibition rooms for children: one is the "International Peace Exhibition Room," another is the "Children's International Understanding Exhibition Room," and the third is the "Children's Fantasy Exhibition Room."

In the "International Peace Exhibition Room," along with a display on the devastation of past wars, today's global issues are also addressed, such as the problems facing refugees, the growing gap between developed and developing countries, and the deforestation of the rain forest. As examples of active peacemakers, the work of the United Nations and NGOs is introduced. (Yuka Iguchi, 13)

Earth Plaza opened in 1998. In 2007, there were about 47,000 visitors. The museum holds about 3,000 items. Admission is 500 yen for adults, 300 yen for high school students and adults 65 years old or over, 100 yen for elementary school and junior high school students, and free for children under 6.