August 6, 2018 — Biograd na Moru will hold its 9th annual commemoration services marking the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ceremony on Monday is part of a global effort to abolish the world’s nuclear arsenal.
The coastal town is Croatia’s only member of “Mayors for Peace,” a group of cities tying to increase awareness of the dangers posed by nuclear bombs, hoping nations agree to abolish the weapons entirely. The collective began in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were bombed on August 6 and 9, 1945, but has since grown to include 7,632 cities in 163 countries.
Biograd is marking the anniversary for the ninth year in a row at its Japanese peace monument, an origami crane along the town’s quay. It has grown to the status of a Vice President City and Lead City within the “Mayors for Peace” group, one of two in the entire region.
Every city participating will get a peace torch to light in a sign of respect for all victims of the atomic bomb. It’s also a sign of solidarity with Hiroshima, which lights a peace torch every year.
The commemoration service begins at 20:00 at the Iliria basin, with a procession to the origami peace monument.
Its inscription reads:
“On the wings of love
Bring peace
To Hiroshima”
The event will then carry on into the night, including a concert.
