Top 10 places to visit in Gwangju-dong | Travel attraction recommendations
Top 10 places to visit in Gwangju-dong
hello? In this post, we will introduce the top 10 places you must visit in Gwangju-dong, which is popular among travelers.
This ranking was selected based on the Korea Tourism Organization's popularity rankings and includes a variety of attractive attractions.
Please use this as a reference in preparing for a pleasant trip, and I hope you have a happy time!
Mudeungsan Columnar Joints
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Mudeungsan Columnar Joints
Mudeungsan Columnar Joints are a series of hexagon-shaped pillar rocks located on Mudeungsan Mountain in the Yongyeon-dong area.
It is designated as a natural monument of Korea.
Columnar joints are joints that are formed when lava (quartz andesite) cools near the surface and contracts due to physical weathering. The cross-sectional shape is pentagonal or hexagonal.
Mudeungsan Mountain's columnar joints were formed as a result of volcanic activity about 70 million years ago (Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era) and are located in Ipseokdae, Seoseokdae, and Gyubong. The size of a single stone pillar in the joints in Ipseokdae and Seoseokdae is the largest ever reported in South Korea, drawing attention. I am receiving it.
Ipseokdae and Gyubong are heavily weathered and are shaped like pillars, but Seoseokdae is less weathered and is shaped like a folding screen.
The tatters on the hillside around the summit are the result of the collapse of these stone pillars.
Standing rocks and tatters are rare natural relics that allow one to observe the formation and weathering process of rocks and to monitor changes in the Earth's climatic environment, so they have great academic and scenic value and form an outstanding geological landscape.
These topographical resources have another important meaning to the residents living in the Mudeungsan area beyond simply being perceived as columnar joints and tattered areas.
The columnar joints and tattered areas of Mudeungsan Mountain were used as objects of faith and sometimes as places for religious practice.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Basic information on Mudeungsan Columnar Joints
Website https://www.heritage.go.kr/
Operating hours 04:00~16:00
Parking facilities available
Open all year round on days off
Yaksaam (Gwangju)
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Yaksaam (Gwangju)
Yaksaam Hermitage is a hermitage attached to Jeungsimsa Temple and is located below Saeinbong.
It is said that it was founded by Doyun during the Silla Dynasty after returning from the Tang Dynasty in 847 (the 9th year of King Munseong's reign). At the time, it was called Inwangsa Temple, but during the reign of King Yejong of Goryeo (1105-1122), it was called the National Preceptor Hyejo. ) was rebuilt and the name of the temple was changed to Yaksaam.
During the Joseon Dynasty, in March 1856 (the 7th year of King Cheoljong's reign), Seongam renovated Yaksajeon, and in September 1905, Seonju rebuilt it with the help of the government and donations.
Since the 1970s, abbot Seokdam has rebuilt and renovated the temple hall and Yosachae, which are still in operation today.
* Attractions and cultural assets of Yaksa Temple * Relics preserved in Yaksa Temple include a stone seated Buddha statue (treasure) and a three-story stone pagoda.
These two relics are believed to be from the first half of the 9th century, providing support for the history of this temple.
Currently, Yaksaam includes Daeungjeon, Unrimdang, Unlimseowon, Gangwon, and Iljumun, but all of them are from the late 1970s to mid-1980s.
In Daeungjeon, there are Buddhist paintings such as the Dokseongtaenghwa, the Seven-Seongtaenghwa, the Sansintaenghwa, and the Sinjungtaenghwa. The Dokseongtaenghwa was painted in 1912, and the Chilsungtaenghwa and Sansintaenghwa are presumed to be from a similar period.
Sinjungtunghwa is a recent thing.
[Cultural Heritage Information] Designated Item: Cultural Heritage Material Designation Number: Gwangju Cultural Heritage Material Designation Year: February 17, 1984 Period: Silla Type: Temple
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Yaksaam (Gwangju) basic information
Operating hours sunrise~sunset
Parking facilities available
Open all year round on days off
Jeungsimsa Temple (Gwangju)
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Jeungsimsa (Gwangju)
Jeungsimsa Temple is a representative Buddhist monastery in the Gwangju area and is located at the western foot of Mt. Mudeungsan.
It was built in the mid-9th century by the high monk Cheolgamseonsa Doyun during the Unified Silla Dynasty. It was rebuilt by State Preceptor Hyeso during the reign of King Seonjong of Goryeo (1094) and was recited by Kim Bang during the reign of King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty. It is said that the Buddhist rituals of the Five Hundred Arhats were accomplished at this time.
It is said that the three great Zen masters Seokgyeong, Sujang, and Dogwang rebuilt it in 1609 (1st year of King Gwanghaegun's reign) after it was burned down during the Japanese invasions of Korea.
Afterwards, several repairs were made thanks to the devotion of believers, but much of it was lost during the Korean War, and the buildings, including the main hall, were restored only in 1970.
Relics of Jeungsimsa Temple include the seated iron Vairocana Buddha statue (treasure) enshrined in Obaekjeon and Birojeon (Saseongjeon), the Three-story Stone Pagoda of Jeungsimsa Temple, a stone pagoda from the late Silla period (local tangible cultural property), Beomjonggak, and the Beomja seven-story stone pagoda with Sanskrit characters engraved on the four sides of each floor. There are numerous cultural assets.
In particular, Obaekjeon is the oldest building from the early Joseon Dynasty (25th year of King Sejong's reign) among the remaining temple buildings on Mt. Mudeung. It is similar to Geungnakjeon at Mukwisa Temple in Gangjin, and is rare in its multi-pitched style with a single-story gable roof with three sections on the front and three sections on the sides. The castle stands out.
Accordingly, this temple was designated as a Gwangju cultural property on November 1, 1986.
Various temple stays are actively operated and there are various experience programs.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Jeungsimsa (Gwangju) basic information
Website https://jeungsimsa.org
Operating hours 04:30~17:00
Parking facilities available
Open all year round on days off
Gwangju Art Street
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Gwangju Art Street
There are streets that take advantage of the characteristics of each city in each region, such as Daehakro and Insa-dong streets in Seoul and Piff Street in Busan.
The street that represents Gwangju Metropolitan City is Gwangju Art Street.
The Street of Arts was created to inherit and develop the tradition of Gwangju, the center of Honam culture and art.
Currently, for the convenience of hobbyists, symbolic works of local art such as calligraphy, painting, ceramics, and crafts are collected, exhibited, and sold. It is a famous place where anyone can easily experience the essence of Namdo art, focusing on Korean painting, calligraphy, and Namdo window.
Walking around this place from the Gwangju Eastern Police Station to the intersection behind Jungang Elementary School takes about an hour just to look around, and about two hours if you go into the store and admire it. It's a place worth stopping by if you're visiting Gwangju for the first time.
Every Saturday is designated as a 'car-free street' so you can enjoy a variety of cultural events, and once a month there are concerts led by the Namdo Culture and Arts Promotion Association, festivals of light, underground performances, character culture product exhibitions, festivals of lights, etc. It is expanding and further revitalizing the art street.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Gwangju Art Street Basic Information
Noritjae Park
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Nooritjae Park
This is a small park created on the side of the road on the Hwasun side of the entrance to the Neoritjae Tunnel, which connects Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, and Hwasun-eup, Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do.
Until the tunnel was opened in 1971, the road to Noritjae would be cut off for over a month when there was heavy snow, and before that, it was a rough pass where bandits came out even in broad daylight.
Also, during the Gabo Peasant War, peasant soldiers were executed in droves, and during the Korean War, it was a place where partisans and the South Korean army faced off.
In 『Yeojidoseo』 (Hwasun), “The road to the north to Panchi (板峙) on the border with Gwangju is 9 ri.
“It is recorded.
In 『Daedongjiji』, it is recorded that “Panchi is located 10 ri to the north and is on the border with Gwangju.”
‘Pan (板)’ means a plank, which is a flat and wide piece of wood, and ‘chi’ (峙) means a hill or a hill, and the word ‘norijae’ from ‘neoljae’ or ‘ashe of a board’ was written in Chinese characters and became ‘panchi’. I see it.
Noritjae Park, a resting place for those traveling through the Noritjae Tunnel, contains the cemetery of the unknown soldiers who died while fighting in Noritjae in April 1951, and the Martyr's Police Cemetery that enshrines the 23rd police officer of the Hwasun Police Station who died in an attack by the North Korean army in October 1950. A monument is also erected.
A meeting plaza with a poetry monument and a rest area has also been created at the entrance to the Nooritjae Tunnel on the Gwangju side.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Neoritjae Park basic information
Operating hours 24 hours
Parking facility parking available
Open all year round on days off
Mudeungsan National Park
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Mudeungsan National Park
Mudeungsan Mountain is a mountain on the border of Gwangju, Damyang-gun, and Hwasun-gun, and is also called Muaksan, Mujinaksan, Seoseoksan Mountain, and Ipsuksan Mountain.
Mudeungsan Mountain is a mountain whose height is difficult to measure and cannot even be ranked because there is no comparison.
It is 1,186.8m above sea level and has a gentle and round shape.
The summit of the mountain is made up of three rocky peaks, including Cheonwangbong Peak, Jiwangbong Peak, and Inwangbong Peak, and these are also called the ‘three summit peaks.’
There are famous strangely shaped rocks such as Gyubong, Ipseokdae, and Seoseokdae, as well as temples such as Jeungsimsa Temple, Wonhyosa Temple, and Yaksasa Temple, located at various locations around the summit.
In the fall of Mudeungsan Mountain, the autumn leaves of Gyubongam, Jangbuljae, and silver grass of Baekma Ridge are spectacular, and in winter, snowflakes and ice flowers are exquisite.
Designated as a provincial park in 1972, it was designated as the 21st national park 40 years later.
There are various amusement facilities and convenience facilities at the bottom of the mountain.
Another attraction of Mudeungsan Mountain is the Chunseolcha, which has the excellent scent of watermelon from Mudeungsan Mountain, which was a real product of the old palace.
Starting from Jeungsimsa Temple at the foot of the mountain, you can reach the summit in a couple of hours. A tourist road has been opened to the northeast of the mountain, so it takes almost 30 minutes by car to Wonhyo Valley on the mountainside, and from here, it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach the summit.
The park area is 30.23㎢.
(Gwangju 27.03㎢ / Jeonnam 3.20㎢) Mudeungsan Mountain has Jeungsimsa Temple, Wonhyosa Temple, Cheonmunsa Temple, Miryoksa Temple, Dongguksa Temple, Bodeoksa Temple, There are temples such as Baegunam Temple and Yaksaam Temple, which provide additional fun in climbing.
Jeungsimsa Temple is a temple founded by State Preceptor Doyun during the Unified Silla Dynasty. It contains an iron seated Vairocana Buddha statue, a five-story stone pagoda, and the Five Hundred Arhat Hall. ), etc., and at Yaksaam, the subsidiary temple of Jeungsimsa Temple, there is a stone seated Buddha statue.
Wonhyosa Temple was founded by Master Wonhyo during the Silla Dynasty. Along with Jeungsimsa Temple, it was destroyed in a campaign to subdue communists during the Korean War, but was restored.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Mudeungsan National Park basic information
Homepage http://mudeung.knps.or.kr
Day off ※ Controls may occur depending on weather conditions
Chungjang-ro
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Chungjang-ro
If Seoul has Myeong-dong, Gwangju has Chungjang-ro.
As the city center grows, new bustling streets attracting more people are being created here and there, but the fact that the center of Gwangju is Chungjang-ro will not change.
Chungjang-ro was Gwangju's representative north-south boulevard connecting the south and north gates during the fortress era, and was called downtown because it was located within the fortress.
The first commercial district to be formed in Chungjang-ro was in 1911, right after the Japanese colonial period, when the Japanese opened a daily general store under the name ‘Yeomok’ across from the current Industrial Bank of Korea.
Afterwards, Japanese shops opened around Chungjang-ro 1-ga, and the Japanese were able to dominate the commercial area of Chungjang-ro because the Japanese Government-General was located in the place of the old provincial office.
The name ‘Chungjang-ro’ is named after the posthumous name of Kim Deok-ryeong, a volunteer general during the Japanese invasions of Korea, and it is said that the first streetlights in Chungjang-ro were oil lamps.
Chungjang-ro, which was crowded with young people who were leading the trends of the time, was naturally called the street of fashion and the street of youth because it was concentrated in the western clothing, suit, restaurant, and service industries.
When talking about Chungjang-ro, there is one thing that cannot be left out, and that is 'Udabang'.
'Woodabang' is a name given to the post office, which was a meeting place for young people in the 70s and 80s when Chungjang-ro was at its most prosperous, in comparison to the coffee shops that were popular at the time.
The post office, which was completed in 1963 and was a large building equipped with heating and cooling, which was rare at the time, was an indispensable meeting place for poor couples and students.
'Woodabang', which was part of Gwangju's history as a preliminary gathering place, information exchange center, and shelter for protestors during the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980, is still a place where citizens and various organizations holding events and rallies to publicize their claims.
Every October since 2004, the nostalgic Chungjang Festival has been held, taking advantage of the characteristics of Chungjang-ro, the representative downtown area of Gwangju.
In the 'Chungjang World Parade', the biggest attraction of the festival, 13 districts in Gwangju participate in parades with different themes, and various parades such as contest parades, movie concept parades, and Asian country parades are held continuously.
In addition, a nostalgic theme street will be created that recreates the appearance of Chungjang-ro in the 70s and 80s.
Various generations, including the MZ generation, can enjoy fun retro experiences, such as drinking tea in an old-fashioned tea room or taking great black-and-white photos in a black-and-white photo studio.
In particular, you can feel the inherent characteristics of the festival: play, a sense of liberation through deviation, and a sense of community.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Chungjang-ro basic information
Homepage https://tour.gwangju.go.kr/home/main.cs
Operating hours ※ Please check in advance as they vary by brand and store.
Parking facilities available (private parking lot)
Days off vary by store.
Geumnam-ro
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Geumnam-ro
It is a 2.3km road located in Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City and consists of Geumnam-ro 1~5-ga.
Among them, the 518m intersection between the old Jeonnam Provincial Office and the old Gwangju Bank in Geumnam-ro 1-ga is a place that preserves the history of modern Korean history, including the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, and was designated as a 'UNESCO Democratic and Human Rights Road' by Gwangju City on August 30, 2011.
Geumnam-ro is a street of resistance where Gwangju citizens fiercely resisted day after day during the May 18th People's Uprising against martial law forces.
On May 18, the first student sit-in protest took place in front of the Catholic Center, and from May 19, numerous citizens gathered continuously and demonstrated their will to fight.
On the evening of May 20, there was a large-scale protest in which more than 100 vehicles, mainly taxis, participated.
Geumnam-ro, where over 300,000 Gwangju citizens gathered every day to stop military dictatorship and call for democratization until the martial law troops opened fire on the 21st, is a street that symbolizes the May 18 People's Uprising.
Afterwards, the struggle to reveal the truth about the uprising unfolded around this street, and citizen rallies for democratization continued to be held at the Catholic Center.
Even now, all events, rallies, and festivals held in Gwangju pass through Geumnam-ro and head to the old Jeonnam Provincial Office (now the National Asia Culture Center).
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Geumnam-ro basic information
5/18 Democracy Square
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to 5/18 Democracy Square
May 18 Democracy Square refers to the fountain square in front of the National Asia Culture Center in Dong-gu, Gwangju.
It was named 'May 18 Democracy Square' to commemorate the people's uprising that took place in May 1980 at the square in front of the former Jeonnam Provincial Office in Gwangju.
In the plaza, the fountain, commercial building, and clock tower from the time remain as symbols, and there is the Democracy Bell Tower, built in 2005, which rings on the May 18th anniversary and Liberation Day.
The old building, which was used as the Jeonnam Provincial Office at the time, was built in 1930 during the Japanese colonial period. It has now been restored and used as the National Asia Culture Center, and has been designated as a nationally registered cultural property since 1996 as a May 18 historic site.
On May 14, 1980, Chonnam National University students marched from Chonnam National University to the plaza in front of the Jeonnam Provincial Office, joined with Chosun University students and citizens, and held the National Democratic Rally, making it a symbolic place of the Gwangju Democratization Movement.
The National Democracy Crusade lasted for three days, and a declaration of the state of affairs was announced and free speech calling for democratization was held.
In particular, on May 16th, a nighttime torchlight rally was held peacefully with the cooperation of the police, and it is evaluated as the birthplace of the Gwangju democratization movement.
After the withdrawal of martial law forces on May 21, various uprisings and citizen rallies, including a resolution to fight for democratization, were held here.
Currently, the largest event related to May 18th, the Eve Festival, is held here every year.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
5/18 Democracy Square Basic Information
Oh Ji-ho's birthplace
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Oh Ji-ho’s birthplace
This is the house where Oh Ji-ho, a master of Western painting, lived for about 30 years from 1954, when he was working as a professor at the College of Fine Arts at Chosun University, until his death in 1982.
It was originally a building built about 100 years ago, but when it fell into disrepair, it was completely renovated in 1986.
Oh Ji-ho (1905-1982) is a painter who accepted the impressionist painting style and made it indigenous to his country.
The teacher's real name is Oh Jeom-su, but the name Ji-ho is the pen name he used when signing his paintings, and is more widely known than his real name. Nowadays, he is commonly called Oh Ji-ho.
He was born in Dongbok, Hwasun, studied at Whimoon High School with Go Ui-dong, Korea's first oil painter who studied in Japan, and studied at the Tokyo Art School.
Oh Ji-ho, a painter who came down to Gwangju and settled in Gwangju in 1948 and is the pride of the Gwangju art world and one that Korea is proud of, is considered a pioneer of Korean Western painting and a master of domestic Impressionist painting.
When you enter the main gate of Oh Ji-ho's house, there is a munganchae with a skylight that was used as a studio.
The main house is a thatched-roof house with 4 rooms on the front and 1 room on the side, front and back, and has a hipped roof.
The floor plan consists of a kitchen of one and a half rooms and three rooms of one room each, and there is a veranda and an alcove in the back.
In the kitchen, the lattice windows and cupboards were restored, and the paneled doors were installed as they were before.
The buoyeon was woven with bamboo.
The stylobate was built on a single beaded stylobate made of makdolheoteun layers, with a square pillar on the front and sides, and a round pillar on the back.
The current pillars have been restored to their original size, leaving only the corner pillars, and the door is a single-leaf, sash gate.
The front floor was also partially repaired to save the well floor.
Umiryang and napdori are connected on top of the square pillars, and the furniture uses the general structural method of hanging a large amount of material around the gong and then placing dongjaju, jongryang, and jongdori in that order.
The studio is about 6 pyeong in size, has a skylight to the north, and is a European-style studio with a long floor and a gable roof.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Basic information about Oh Ji-ho’s birthplace
This was an introduction to the top 10 places worth visiting in Gwangju-dong.
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