The city of Suwon, located in Gyeonggi-do just south of Seoul, is known for Hwaseong Fortress,
an iconic wall that has been designated
a UNESCO World Heritage site. Although only a fifth the size of
Seoul, since the provincial legislative building for Gyeonggi-do is
located here, the city is a hub of politics, economy, policy, and
administration. It is also full of popular tourist
attractions. Places like streets, museums, and other unique
destinations are all nearby, making the city great for day trips to
enjoy one's vacation. Let's take a look at some of the enticing
attractions of Suwon, a city filled to the brim
with both old and new.
Cozy neighborhood of Haenggung-dong Mural Village &
Janganmun Gate's old street
Photo: Haenggung-dong Mural Village (left) / Janganmun Gate's old street (right)
Suwon contains many residential alleys ornate with
gorgeous murals, and of those, the area of Haenggung-dong Mural Village
and the old street at Janganmun Gate are particularly worth a visit.
Haenggung-dong,
which is composed of 12 neighborhoods – nine inside Hwaseong
Fortress's walls and three on the outside – is known as the old section
of Suwon, as the alleys and streets of these areas have been left
exactly the way they were built
in the 1980s and 1990s. One must-see place to see murals is
Buksu-dong near Honghwamun Gate.
The easiest way to get there is to
follow the directions on the information board next to Honghwamun
Gate. Haenggung-dong Mural Village may not be as well-known as other
famous mural villages, but it's quiet, cozy atmosphere is a good reason
to pay it a visit, and all
the murals can be observed in no more than an hour.
The mural village at Janganmun Gate's old street, located in Jangan-dong of Paldal-gu, was started in order to develop the area, which had become run-down and dilapidated over the years. Starting from Sinpung Elementary School and extending 500 meters all the way to Hwaseomun Gate, the area's network of small and large alleyways is riddled with beautiful, artistic murals that attract many visitors throughout the year. The artworks here were created using recycled waste materials, and there is a little garden installed at almost every corner. The murals, which are rather simple and plain, express the simple livelihoods of the many residents in this part of Suwon.
The mural village at Janganmun Gate's old street, located in Jangan-dong of Paldal-gu, was started in order to develop the area, which had become run-down and dilapidated over the years. Starting from Sinpung Elementary School and extending 500 meters all the way to Hwaseomun Gate, the area's network of small and large alleyways is riddled with beautiful, artistic murals that attract many visitors throughout the year. The artworks here were created using recycled waste materials, and there is a little garden installed at almost every corner. The murals, which are rather simple and plain, express the simple livelihoods of the many residents in this part of Suwon.
- Haenggung-dong Mural Street
- ☞ Address: 232-3, Buksu-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
- ☞ Directions: Take a taxi and get off near the Hwaseong Temporary Palace or Hwaseong Fortress Museum.
Walk for 5 to 10 minutes to reach the destination. - ☞ Website: Alternative space "Noon" www.spacenoon.co.kr (Korean only)
- Janganmun Gate Road
- ☞ Address: 42beon-gil, Hwaseomun-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
- *Area from Haenggung Palace's parking lots to rear end of the Janganmun Gate road.
The one and only of
its kind in the world: Bathroom museum
Haewoojae (Mr. Toilet House)
Suwon has a very unique place that cannot be found elsewhere: Haewoojae, a toilet that was transformed into a cultural space and a museum. Haewoojae literally means "mold that solves the problems," which is derived from the word haeuso, a toilet in a temple that waves concerns and worries away. Haewoojae presents its uniqueness from the building facade, which resembles the shape of a toilet. The exotic museum exhibits the history of toilets around the world and also introduces toilet culture.
Haewoojae was established according to the will of Sim Jae-deok (also known as Mr. Toilet), who devoted his life as a pioneer of world toilet culture. The two-story building has exhibition halls that display pictures of excrement and toilets, which have been very popular with children. An outdoor park, called the Toilet Culture Park, displays a variety of sculptures and toilets from the Baekje and Silla Dynasty, tracing the history of toilets at a glance. Also, the evolution of the toilet and toilet cubicles made in Korea and other western countries are on display, with explanations both in Korean and English. In addition, Toilet Trick Art Exhibition is to be held at the exhibition hall located on level 2, and will run until May 31, 2015.
- ☞ Address: 9 Jangan-ro, 458 beon-gil, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
- ☞ Transportation:
Get off at Sungkyunkwan Univ. Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 1.
Go to Yuljeon Church (율전성당) Bus Stop and board bus no. 5, 39, 63, 64, 65, 92, or 98.
After passing 3 to 4 stops, get off at the entrance to Dongwon High School and go 500 m following the main street of Jangan-ro (장안로). (Total walking time: approx. 10 min.) - ☞ Fare: Free
- ☞ Website: www.haewoojae.com (Korean, English)
Take a unique ride on Hwaseong Train
Photo: Hwaseong Train (top & right) / Hwaseong Fortress
Hwaseong Train is something that you do not want
to miss out on when visiting Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. Walking along the
trails in the fortress is uplifting
enough, but riding on the train delivers a much more
interesting experience, where one can appreciate the fortress
from a different
perspective. The train travels from Paldalsan Mountain to
Yeonmudae Post (a
total of 3.2 km) and takes about 30 minutes. It also provides
onboard explanations in English, Chinese, and Japanese.
The front is decorated with brave a dragon, a symbol of King
Jeongjo, and the cars resemble a palanquin
that the king used to ride on in the past.
- ☞ Address for ticket office (Bus stop)
- Paldalsan Mountain (팔달산) Ticket office: 16 Jeongjo-ro, 777 beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
- Yeonmudae Ticket (연무대) Office: 3-14, Maehyang-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
- ☞ Hours: Every day 10:00 to 17:50
- ☞ Routes
- Yeonmudae → Paldalsan: 12 times per day / Runs 13 times daily on Fridays to Sundays from June to September only / Runs 11 times daily from November to February
- Paldalsan → Yeonmudae: 12 times per day / Runs 13 times daily on Fridays to Sundays from June to September only / Runs 11 times daily from November to February
- ☞ Fare: 1,500 won
- ☞ Travel time: Approx. 30 minutes for one-way
- ☞ Inquiries: Yeonmudae Tourism Office +82-31-228-2763 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) / Foreign language service assistance varies by day.
- ☞ Website: Suwon Cultural Foundation www.swcf.or.kr (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Suwon's
Gongbang Golmok, an eye-catching workshop alley
Photo: Hwaseong Train (top & right) / Hwaseong Fortress
The road between Hwaseong Haenggung Palace
and Paldalmun Gate ticket booth offers a variety of
experiential programs through the many old studio shops located
here. Called Gongbang Golmok (literally translated as "studio road"), it
will remind you of Seoul's Insa-dong once you set foot here.
The area is full of cozy shops, galleries, restaurants, and
traditional music and dance. If you plan ahead before you go, you can
even watch traditional performances held right on the street. There are
big and small shops
where you can make bracelets, sotdaes (traditional poles
made for folk religion or to celebrate happy occasions), and ceramics.
As there are also many murals scattered throughout the area, after
taking in the sights and many
shops of this workshop alley, you can simply pick a shop you
like and take part in a craft shop that allows you to really delve in to
traditional Korean culture with your own hands.
- ☞ Address: Area around Haenggung-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
- ☞ Directions: Get off at Suwon Station (Seoul Subway Line 1, Bundang Line).
Then go to AK Plaza Bus Stop.
Take bus no. 11, 13, 36, or 39 and get off at Paldalmun Bus Stop.
Time travel from the past to future of the
electronics industry at
Samsung Innovation Museum
Photo credit: Samsung Innovation Museum
Samsung Innovation Museum
is not only the largest electronics industry museum,
but it allows visitors to learn about the incredible
transformation of Samsung Electronics from a local small business
into a global tech giant. Also, it is located in Suwon's Digital
City area, the birthplace of Samsung Electronics 47 years ago. The
museum outlines the whole history of electronics, as well as its present
condition and
where electronics is headed into the future.
The museum is composed of exhibits highlighting the major inventions of electronics, such as Thomas Edison's light bulb, the Leyden jar, tube-style radio and TVs, and the first cellular telephone. Not only that, but visitors can see the history and current technology of Samsung Electronics as well, especially the Smart Home theater, where one can see a video showing a futuristic world where humans are using advanced technology of the not-so-distant future. Samsung Innovation Museum is geared towards people and families of all ages, and has a wide-range of experiential programs that are offered free of charge.
The museum is composed of exhibits highlighting the major inventions of electronics, such as Thomas Edison's light bulb, the Leyden jar, tube-style radio and TVs, and the first cellular telephone. Not only that, but visitors can see the history and current technology of Samsung Electronics as well, especially the Smart Home theater, where one can see a video showing a futuristic world where humans are using advanced technology of the not-so-distant future. Samsung Innovation Museum is geared towards people and families of all ages, and has a wide-range of experiential programs that are offered free of charge.
- ☞ Address: 129 Samsung-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
- ☞ Directions: Get off at Mangpo Station (Bundang Line), Exit 4.
Go to Mangpo Station Bus Stop and take bus no. 15.
Get off at Samsung Digital City Main Gate Bus Stop after passing 5 stations (approx. 6 min.).
Walk for 5 minutes to reach the destination. - ☞ Admission: Free
- ☞ Hours:
- *Weekdays: 10:00-18:00 (reservation required) / Guided tour available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish
*Weekends: 09:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:00) / No guided tour offered - ☞ Reservation: Online reservation
www.samsunginnovationmuseum.com (Korean, English) - ☞ Inquiries: +82-31-200-3113 (Korean, English)
*Choose the preferred language when connected with automatic answering machine - ☞ E-mail: sim.sec@samsung.com
- More Info
- ☞ Transportation: Take Seoul Subway Line 1 heading to Byeongjeom, Sinchang, or Suwon directions and get off at Suwon Station.
- ☞ Website:
- Suwon-si www.suwon.go.kr (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Suwon Cultural Foundation www.swcf.or.kr (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) - ☞ Related column:
UNESCO World Heritage Stamp Tour: World Heritage Sites in Seoul and Suwon - ☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
*This column was last updated on April 2015, and therefore information may differ from what
is presented here. We advise you to check details from the official website before visiting.
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