Hiroshima Grove (Hanover)

The installations at the Hiroshima Grove.

The Hiroshima Grove in Hanover was created in 1987 on the site of the former Alte Bult racecourse on the Eilenriede in the Bult district of the Lower Saxony state capital Hanover. It was created as part of the town twinning between Hanover and Hiroshima. The grove contains a memorial with 110 cherry trees to commemorate the 110,000 Japanese who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 . In addition to events on August 6, a celebration of the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival takes place in the Hiroshima Grove every year .

location

The Hiroshima Grove is located in the Old Bult Park near the Children's Hospital on the Bult . Access is possible via a footpath from Janusz-Korczak-Allee .

The large park The "Alte Bult" was a horse racing track for 64 years. Later on, nature was able to develop almost freely on the "Alte Bult" during the long period of extensive use . A large part of the area is now characterized by sandy grassland , which is one of the specially protected biotopes according to Section 28a of the Lower Saxony Nature Conservation Act . In addition, turf grass and moderately humid grassland areas provide important habitats for plants and animals. This allowed rare species of locusts and colonies of wild bee species to settle on the "Alte Bult". The connection between the site and the Eilenriede city forest immediately to the south is also of great importance for the animals living in the forest; because the "Alte Bult" is an important supplier of food for bats and birds.

The area of the "Old Bult" is therefore a valuable habitat for rare and endangered plant and animal species as a landscape protection area and, with the "Hiroshima Memorial Grove" created there, important for local recreation.

City partnership between Hanover and Hiroshima

View of the Japanese garden with the tea house in the Hannover City Park

On May 27, 1983, the cities of Hiroshima and Hanover sealed their friendly relations with a town twinning agreement . Since then, relations have been promoted through cultural exchanges, youth exchanges, peace work and many mutual visits.

In Hanover, three associations are dedicated to the city partnership: "German-Japanese Friendship Circle Hanover-Hiroshima - Yukokai eV", which emerged from the youth exchanges, the "Hiroshima Alliance", which is dedicated to peace work, and the "German-Japanese Society Chado -kai eV ", which makes Japanese culture known in Hanover and looks after the tea house in the city park.

In 1987 the city of Hanover laid the Hiroshima Grove in what is now the landscape protection area on the site of the former Alte Bult racecourse . In 1988 the city of Hiroshima donated the tea house to the city of Hanover . It stands in the Japanese tea garden of the city park of Hanover, which was laid out in 1996, as a symbol of friendship between the two cities. The German-Japanese Society Hannover Chado-Kai eV was founded in 1989. It emerged from the Chado-Kai eV, which brought the tea house to life in 1988. The tea houses of Japan have a very old tradition. In Japan, the deliberately simply furnished tea houses are used for the tea ceremony , an expression of Japanese culture. The Japanese tea house is always surrounded by a small Japanese garden that is an integral part of the tea ceremony.

In Hanover and Hiroshima there are events dedicated to friendship with the twin city. In Hiroshima there has been the Hanover Day since 2002 and in Hanover the commemoration on August 6th in the ruins of the Aegidienkirche and the cherry blossom festival in the Hiroshima grove. The ruins of the Aegidienkirche serve as a memorial in Hanover for the victims of war and violence. The Japanese peace bell hangs in the tower entrance. It is a replica of the bell in the Peace Park in Hiroshima and a gift from Hanover's twin city Hiroshima from 1985. It is struck three times on August 6th during the memorial service for the victims of the atomic bombing.

Description of the Hiroshima grove

At the entrance to the Hiroshima grove there is a deserted, skeletonized and burned-out home made of charred tree trunks and above it a corrugated iron roof that is charred and deformed in the embers.

The CND symbol is the symbol for nuclear disarmament.

At the entrance to the Hiroshima grove lies a circular ouroboros made of sawn tree trunks , from which the hands of the trapped are stretched out in supplication to heaven, halfway up the small children's hands and above them the large adult hands.

Granite slab with the image of Kannon , the female bodhisattva of compassion , and the inscription “From Hiroshima”.

The idea for the construction of the Hiroshima Grove originated in the peace movement . The doctors' initiative "Doctors warn of nuclear war" and the "Hiroshima Alliance" started an appeal for donations. With the help of the city of Hanover, the project could then be implemented from 1962 onwards.

The Hiroshima grove was created in 1987 (planting of the cherry trees), 1992 (granite slab with the portrait of the goddess Kannon) and 2000 (installations by the artist Klaus-Dieter Kappenberg * July 28, 1945; † May 15, 2012).

The 110 cherry trees in the Hiroshima Grove commemorate the 110,000 Japanese who perished in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945 . Each of the cherry trees stands for 1000 people who died immediately in the explosion.

Hiroshima grove of 110 cherry trees in autumn

At the entrance to the Hiroshima grove there is a deserted, skeletonized and burned-out home made of charred tree trunks and above it a corrugated iron roof that is charred and deformed in the embers. Behind it lies a circular ouroboros laid out of sawn tree trunks , from which the hands of the trapped are stretched imploringly towards the sky, halfway up the small children's hands and above them the large adult hands. Klaus-Dieter Kappenberg designed this installation in 2000 together with guests from various partner cities in Hanover. He took the seared and partially charred logs from the ashes of the Easter fire .

The artist Klaus-Dieter Kappenberg gives this vision of doom a completely new interpretation. He places additional tree trunks in the circular Ouroboros made of tree discs, so that the Ouroboros turns into the CND symbol of atomic disarmament when looking from above . The CND symbol is the symbol for nuclear disarmament. It is on the installation by Klaus-Dieter Kappenberg . It is even visible on the enlarged satellite photo. This turns the outstretched hands into expectant hands of demonstrators who are hopefully moving towards nuclear disarmament. This impression is reinforced by the fact that there is a model of the Genbaku Dome in the center of the circle . The Genbaku Dome was only partially destroyed in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima and is a peace memorial in the Hiroshima Peace Park . In December 1996, UNESCO declared this peace monument a World Heritage Site on the grounds that it was not only a powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by mankind, it also expressed the hope for world peace and the ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons.

This installation is the legacy of the late artist Klaus-Dieter Kappenberg . In the obituary in hello SONNTAG of May 27, 2012 it says:

“ The artist, born on July 28, 1945, campaigned for the design and maintenance of the Hiroshima grove on the Alte Bult for many years. His sculpture of the hands pointing skyward, made in 2000 together with young people from several partner cities in Hanover, became a defining feature of the memorial. Kappenberg, whom Ekkehard Meese, the deputy mayor of the city district, had sketched in his laudation as an edgy, persistent person who clearly said what he disliked, was at the same time co-initiator of the annual cherry blossom festival at the Hiroshima grove, which has been taking place in April since 2001. Year after year he also took part in events to commemorate August 6, 1945.… When the grove was destroyed by vandalism, Kappenberg financed the repair work out of his own pocket. "

The granite slab with the image of Kannon is a gift from the Granite Slabs for Peace Society from Hiroshima. It was unveiled in Hiroshima Grove on June 11, 1992 at 8:15 a.m. In the deed of gift, the company writes:

“ The granite slab comes from the paving between the tram tracks in Hiroshima. It was located about 200 meters north of the explosion point of the atomic bomb, which was dropped on August 6, 1945 at 8.15 a.m., and was therefore fully exposed to its effects. As a witness to this terrible event, she heard the victims' horror. "

“ A portrait of the goddess Kannon was later carved into 180 of these granite slabs, who is considered to be a symbol of the longing for everlasting peace. From the disaster that has befallen us, from the guilt we feel towards the peoples affected by World War II, we have learned to give ourselves a 'constitution of peace '. In it we vow that Japan will never again wage war on another country. A world without war is the highest concern: the primal longing of the people. "

“ May these granite stones from Hiroshima, which are given as a gift to all peoples, be a constant memorial of peace. This is our plea. "

Christiane Meyer, Professor of Geography Didactics at the Institute of Natural Science Education at Leibniz University Hannover , sees the symbolic value of this granite slab in its value formation for ethical orientation in view of the visible consequences of human trade in Hiroshima:

“ First of all, it's just a granite - there are plenty of those in the city. Then it's a granite from Hiroshima - this creates a relationship with Hanover's twin city. After all, this stone is a "survivor" from the paving between the tram tracks, 200 meters north of the explosion point of the atomic bomb, which was dropped on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 am - this gives the granite with its resistance a special meaning and a symbolic value. This value results not only from the fact that it appears as a "witness" of the event, but also that it calls for thinking, reflecting and pre-thinking about the consequences of human action, which in this case is humanity with its basic needs and fears, concerned with their responsibilities and their limits. "

In her publication Values Education for Ethical Orientation , Christiane Meyer comes to the conclusion: Learning with all the senses on site enables sustainable values education that can contribute to responsible action as the basis of reflected judgment.

Cherry blossom festival in Hanover and Japan

The Cultural Department of the city of Hanover took over the Japanese tradition in 2001, which during cherry blossom the cherry blossom festival to celebrate. Since then, every year in April, together with associations and initiatives, it invites to the cherry blossom festival in the Hiroshima grove. A diverse cultural program is offered under the blossoming cherry trees: Japanese martial arts, calligraphy , origami , music, Japanese culinary specialties , manga presentations, Japanese tea ceremonies and much more.

The Japanese cherry blossom ( Japanese 桜 , sakura ) is one of the most important symbols of Japanese culture . It is a symbol for female beauty and stands for beauty, awakening and transience. The cherry blossom season marks a high point in the Japanese calendar and the beginning of spring .

Hanami ( Japanese 花見 , "looking at blossoms") describes the Japanese tradition of celebrating the beauty of the cherry trees in bloom with so-called "cherry blossom festivals" every spring. The following aspects of beauty and transience are particularly appealing to the Japanese:

Without bearing fruit, the Japanese cherry lives, so to speak, only for the flowering that lasts a few days in the year in outstanding beauty. (See also the Japanese proverb Hana yori dango .)
After a long period of ripening and only a short period of blooming, the bloom falls in the moment of perfect beauty. The cherry blossom (sakura) thus gives literature an example of a worthy, young death.

In the ten days or so when the cherries are in bloom in their own area, almost all Japanese celebrate a hanami with friends, colleagues or family in a park or other designated place. O- Bentō and often plenty of beer or sake as well as a pad to sit on the floor are among the utensils with which one gathers under blossoming cherry trees in Japan.