I once said that South Korea is a country that really
rich of their cultural heritage. One of the historical heritages that still can
be found there is hanok village. On my other post, I wrote about Bukchon Hanok
Village. Other than Bukchon, there is another hanok village at Seoul which you
should visit. It is called Namsangol Hanok Village known as a village with
traditional houses at Namsan Valley.
In the past, Namsangol used to be an area that famous
for its beautiful scenery and became one of the prettiest areas in Seoul. Namsangol
used as a summer resort named Jeonghakdong. Different from Bukchon Hanok
Village, Namsangol was designed so that tourists could feel the Joseon Dynasty
atmosphere. Now, it is a public historical site and many people are interested
to come. They made some traditional houses, flowing stream and pavilion to
liven the classic atmosphere of Joseon Dynasty.
Namsangol Hanok Village located in the central of
Seoul, close to Namsan Tower area. For the detail address, it is 28, Toegye-ro
34-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. There are two public transportations that you could use
to visit this place, subway and public bus. The nearest subway station from
Namsangol Hanok Village is Chungmuro Station. Some of the public buses also
stop at Namsangol area. I will give the detail information about it later. For
me personally as international tourist, I prefer subway. It neat, the routes
are clear and easy to understand than public bus’ routes.
Namsangol Hanok Village has a very wide area. When you
enter this area, you will see a pond and a large field next to it. The open
field used for a variety of performances such as traditional dance or music of
South Korea. I was fortunate during my visit to Namsangol Hanok Village. There
was a traditional dance performance that day and it was a really interesting
experience to watch it.
On the other side of Namsangol Hanok Village, there
are five traditional houses. Each of them will give you the atmosphere of
Joseon. The house is filled and designed in such a way to resemble the
antiquity of Joseon Dynasty’s house. They really made the kitchen and bedroom
similar to the one on the past. There is one more area called Bak Yeong Ho’s
Residence where the venue can be used for traditional Korean wedding ceremony. Yet
I was lucky again because on that day there was a traditional Korean wedding
ceremony ongoing.
 |
| Kitchen |
 |
| Bedroom |
 |
| Tea Set |
 |
| Traditional Dance Performance |
 |
| Korean Traditional Wedding Ceremony |
Many people come to Namsangol Hanok Village for an
afternoon walk. The beautiful scenery and fresh air will relax your mind. I
also saw some photographer or videographer who’s taking some moments there. Other
than that, there are some free activities that you could do here such as making
mini Korean totem pole, wooden birds, wooden chips, and straw-craft.
This hanok village opens every day except Tuesday. For
April until October, Namsangol Hanok Village opens from 9 am – 9 pm. However,
for November until March, it opens from 9 am – 8 pm. You also don’t have to pay
for admission ticket; it is free to explore Namsangol Hanok Village.
For those who interested with historical buildings and
South Korea’s cultural heritage, you should visit Namsangol Hanok Village. It
has a calm and peaceful atmosphere; it will make you wonder how life went in
the past. I also fascinated with the traditional dance performance. What
fascinated me was youngsters in Korea really love and proud of their culture. I
guess the one who performed was a group of college student. They looked so
proud for successfully performing their country’s cultural dance. So yeah, I
think there are no reasons to not visit Namsangol Hanok Village.
How to get there :
1. Subway
Nearest Station : Chungmuro Station, exit 3 or 4
2. Bus
- Take Bus No. 104, 105, 140, 263, 507, 604, 421, or 7011 and get off at Toegyero 3(sam)-ga (National Pension Service) Bus Stop.
- Take Bus No. 263, 104, 507, 421, 02 or Seoul City Tour bus and get off in front of at Twegye 3(sam)-ga (Hanok Maeul, Korea House) Bus Stop.
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