Report by Ms. Claudia Willi, the City of Luzern, Switzerland
Near the Speuzerbrunnen on Schirmerstrasse in Luzern, the Memorial for Disarmament and Peace was inaugurated on June 2, 2023. It consists of three ginkgo trees, which had grown from seeds of a mother tree that survived the terrible atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and a memorial stone with plaque. Mayor of Luzern, Beat Züsli, was pleased to welcome the Minister of the Japanese Embassy in Bern, Masahiro Nakata, and the Attaché for Culture, Tsuyoshi Kawahara, to this solemn occasion. About fifty people attended the simple ceremony, which was musically accompanied by a horn quartet of the Youth Wind Orchestra.
In the inauguration ceremony, Mayor Beat Züsli of Luzern stated, “Our city is proud to be part of Mayors for Peace and to make our contribution to the global movement for peace. By placing this memorial stone and planting these trees, we are sending a clear message: Nuclear weapons will never be acceptable. We are committed to a future where security and peace are top priorities.”
The City of Luzern is endeavoring to ensure that local tourist organizations will include a visit to the memorial in their guided tours of the city. Likewise, the City of Luzern will encourage local schools to visit the site together with students as part of teaching units on war and peace in order to deal with the consequences of nuclear weapons violence.
