A museum that shows us a glimpse of what life was like in Seoul several centuries ago has opened in the South Korean capital.
Our Lee Min-sun went to check it out.
Take a look. 600 years of history were uncovered in the heart of Seoul on Wednesday.
The Gongpyeong Historic Sites Museum displays remains and dwelling sites from the Joseon Dynasty in a newly built 26-story building in Jongno-gu district.
With more than 3,800 square meters of floor area, it’s the city's largest museum that preserves relics and dwelling sites at the very places where they were discovered.
More than two hundred everyday items from the past are preserved here. You can see the sites of 16th and 17th century buildings and alleys by walking along the transparent glass floors.
Must-see displays are the remains of three different types of Joseon Dynasty homes. Visitors can see what's left of the old houses... and compare them to life-size reproductions.
Virtual reality gear lets you explore even more of the inside of the old-time houses of Seoul.
Dozens of porcelain dishes with personal marks indicating who owns them hint at how people used to borrow dishes from their neighbors for parties or big family events.
“It’s really cool that I can see these relics in the middle of the city.”
It's first building project in the city in which the relics found at the construction site were preserved right where they were found.
The building's private developer was allowed to put 4 extra stories on it in exchange for preserving the original site and turning the basement floor into a museum that’s open to the public for free.
“Previously, when relics were found on building sites, only some them were preserved, and at a separate site. But this time, the whole thing was preserved after close consultation with the developer. We've called this the ‘Gongpyeong-dong rule’.”
The city of Seoul plans to make Gongpyeong-dong a blueprint for managing age-old cultural properties discovered in the future during urban development.
Lee Min-sun, Arirang News.
