Peace Boulevard

This 4-kilometer tree-lined road through Hiroshima was originally cleared during World War II as a firebreak to slow the spread of fires across the city. After the war, it became a central element of Hiroshima's reconstruction plan, officially named Peace Boulevard in 1951. When it came time to plant the trees, the city lacked funds and asked cities around the world for donations. Between 1957 and 1958, about 9,500 trees and plants arrived from cities that sent whatever they had, with no species restrictions, resulting in an unusually diverse stretch of urban greenery. The boulevard runs from the Kyobashi River in the east to the Ota Diversion Channel in the west, passing through Peace Park.