Maples, ancient cities, modern...

A typical private educational institution (now a museum), in which representatives of the ruling elite of Joseon - the yangban - received a decent Confucian education in order to pass state exams in the future and enter the service.

The name, which includes the word "sowon", was given to this place in memory of the famous Prime Minister of Joseon, Ryu Seongnyeon, who moved to Andong in the 16th century. The official name "Pyeongsang Sowon" was established in 1614, the 6th year of the reign of King Gwanghaegun.

Hahoe - a village surrounded on three sides by the Naktong River, as if located in a loop of this river; from this geographical feature comes the name of the village - literally "fifth of the river".

Hahoe is famous for its old houses that have been preserved and are still used by the owners - both peasant and aristocratic houses; the famous dance with masks "Thalchhum", as well as the oldest surviving set of these same wooden masks for dancing. In 1999, Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain celebrated her birthday in the village.

A regular masked dance performance will be a nice live addition to the tour (the performance may not take place on a given day, depending on the season and day of the week).

Lost among the low Korean mountains, the small temple creates a sense of calm and seclusion... But it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018.

Written in Chinese characters, the name of the temple of Pongjeongsa - 鳳停寺 - literally means "Temple of the Standing Phoenix". It was founded in 672 by the monk Nynin, a student of the famous Yisan.

The oldest wooden building in Korea is located in this temple. This is a pavilion dedicated to Buddha Amitabha (Hall of Supreme Bliss), Geunnakchon, State Treasure No. 15, modest in size and appearance.

There is another state treasure in Pongjeongsa - the main temple building, Daeungjeong, as well as several "just" treasures: the Hwaom Lecture Hall, the statue of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (c. 1199), also belonging to the Goryeo era, and others.

On the way to the village of Hahoe, there is a small factory that produces traditional Korean hanji paper. The plant is open to the general public: you can walk through the workshops and get acquainted with the process of making paper, raw materials.

If you wish, you can even make yourself a souvenir - a sheet of paper - for a nominal fee (approx. US$5).

A picturesque 2-storey bridge over the sea in Busan is one of its most exquiste landmarks.

A very piquturesque district in Busan, which was originally founded by some refugees during the Korean War.

Most popular beach in Busan and a vivid resort district.

Once - a place of barter between Koreans and foreigners, now it is a busy shopping area, quite civilized.

This market owes its origin to the Korean War.

Sinsege Sentum department store got into the Guinness Book of Records. This is the world's largest department store.

Nearby is another Guinness record: the world's largest cantilever roof. It belongs to the Busan Cinerma Center building.

The largest seafood market in Korea, where you can see all kinds of marine creatures, both from the plant and animal worlds (and from the border worlds too!).

You can also eat deliciously at the market: fried or raw fish, as well as seafood, is served at the table in numerous restaurants in the market.

If you prefer something less exotic, we recommend the food court at the Lotte department store next door. The observation deck at the department store offers a magnificent view of Busan from a bird's eye view.

This is the only such kind of cemetery in the world. During the Korean War UN forces sided with the Republic of Korea. They consisted of not only the US forces as it is sometimes thought. Many of those foreign nationals who died during the war are buried in this cemetery.

Kudambong - 구담봉/龜潭峰 - literally, "Turtle rock in deep water". Shall we try to find the monstrous size of the Turtle in this wonderful mountain that has crawled into the South Hangang River?

Literally, "three rock-leaves in deep water" - a place sung in poems and paintings by famous Korean poets, thinkers and artists - Lee Hwan, Kim Chong-hee, Kim Hongdong, and Panun.

Here, for example, are the poems of the great Yi Hwan, depicted on the one thousandth bill:

山明楓葉水明沙

三島斜陽帶晩霞

爲泊仙橫翠壁

待看星月湧金波

Red maples - the mountains are light, sand is visible at the bottom

Three rocks that stand in the river, the light of the evening sun ...

The raft of the hermit over the emerald of waters froze motionless, waiting

The stars and the moon run towards me like a golden path

Yi Hwang (Thwege)

A legend about Jeon Dojon, one of the founders of the Joseon state who was born in Danyang, is associated with this place.

Seokmun - 석문/石門 literally means "stone gate". It is a large natural stone arch located on the banks of the South Hangang River.

At the foot of Mount Namsan, in a light-colored pine forest much loved by professional photographers, there are three burial mounds believed to be the burial places of the 8th, 53rd, and 54th kings of Silla. All - Paki by last name. In Silla, it must be said, the kings of three families ruled: Pak, Kim, Sok.

Cheomseongdae is one of the oldest observatories in the world (7th century). The tower of the observatory is full of symbolism: the total number of hewn stones from which it is built; the number of rows of these stones before and above the small window, the shape of the stones... Reasonable Silakians paid attention to everything.

Cheomseongdae was built under the reigning Queen Seondok - one of three in the history of Silla. The queen ended up in a drama that, of course, was filmed in Gyeongju.

Kolgulsa Monastery is famous for its own martial arts technique "sonmudo".

In Buddhism, it is believed that there are many ways to achieve enlightenment, but each seeking being has his own; in this temple one seeks enlightenment through the attainment of the technique of sonmudo.

Sonmudo - 禪武道 - a word consisting of 3 hieroglyphs "sleep", or in Japanese Zen - Buddhist meditation, "mu" - martial art, "do" - the way.

Sometimes visitors can watch the monks training; but, even if we do not catch the monks mastering martial arts, a tour of the temple will be interesting and informative.

The temple was founded in the 6th century. ad. originally in the caves that ate into Mount Hamwolsan. Nowadays, the monks no longer live in the caves, but rather use them for meditation.

The temple got its name thanks to the unique rock image of Buddha: "kol" - a bone, "kul" - a cave, "sa" - a temple; the image of the body of the Buddha in clothes is made with "strokes" resembling the bones of a skeleton. Thus, roughly the name of the temple is translated as "cave temple of the bone [Buddha]".

Namsan literally means "South Mountain". Or "a mountain in the south" ... From what in the south? From the royal palace, of course. Gyeongju, the 1000-year-old capital of the ancient Korean state of Silla, has its own Mount Namsan, and here it is also the most sacred.

Before the arrival of Buddhism in Silla, apparently, the mountain was sacred to the local pagans; but now it is still better known as a treasure trove of Buddhist artifacts. No wonder this area was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000: on an area of ​​2650 hectares, including Namsan Mountain itself and its environs, there are the remains of 122 temples, 53 stone statues, 64 pagodas, 16 stone lamps.

The harmony of nature and the soft, non-destructive influence of man give this place a unique charm. Relief and bas-relief images of buddhas and bodhisattvas, statues, picturesquely scattered on the slopes, naturally fit into the colorful landscape of low Korean mountains.

The Buddha statue in this small temple in an artificial grotto is considered the most elegant in All of Korea! The grotto is located on the slope of Mount Tkhohamsan, where the winding serpentine of the mountain road leads.

The walk to the temple through the mountain forest from the parking lot takes about 15-20 minutes; depending on the weather, either a mysterious foggy landscape awaits us (fogs are not uncommon on this mountain), or breathtaking bird's-eye views of the thousand-year-old Gyeongju.

In the grotto, which is formally the hermitage of the Bulguksa temple, located below the slope, the dominant position is occupied by the above-mentioned statue of Buddha, sitting in a lotus position on a pedestal in the shape of a lotus. Around it at different heights are bas-reliefs and statues of bodhisattvas, arhats, Indra and Brahma, the Four Heavenly Kings.

If the group agrees, we can go down the mountainside to the temple of Bulguksa.

The main Buddhist temple of United Silla, it is now a place of pilgrimage for many guests of Korea.

The temple was built in 774 under the leadership of the premier of the state of Silla, Kim Taesong. Legend has it that Bulguksa was dedicated to the parents of the current, so to speak, Kim Taesong. While Seokguram, the temple-hermitage under Bulguksa, was intended for Kim Taesung's parents from his previous incarnations.

In 1995, Bulguksa and Seokguram were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The main state Gyeongju temple from the Silla period, the "Temple of the Yellow Dragon", Hwanyeongsa, has not survived; however, we still have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the pagoda of a hermitage temple of Hwanyeongsa. The hermitage temple is called Punghwansa.

The peculiarity of the pagoda of Punghwansa is that it is built of stones, hewn in such a way that they resemble bricks in shape. What can you not do if you are not familiar with the technology (brick production, in this case)!

The only mound which inner parts are open to the public (though filled with replicas, it shows the inner construction of a Shilla mound)

The reign of the 55th king of Gyeongju - Gyeune ended in tragedy. He died at the hands of the ruler of the Later Paekche Gyeonghwon during a feast in the Posokchzhon pavilion. The path to Mount Namsan runs past the mound of this unlucky king...

Though made anew, it is a nice and quite picturesque place, especially at night.

Unlike most royal graves, it is not a large barrow. In fact, this is just a rock in the sea, where, according to legend, the Great King Munmu bequeathed to dispel his ashes after cremation, so that even after death, turning into a dragon, he would protect his country from the Japanese. It was under Wang Munmu that the Silla state completed the unification of the countries of the Korean Peninsula and rebuffed China, which claimed the lands of Korea.

A few hundred meters from the sea shore are the ruins of the Kamyns temple, which became a haven for the dragon... 2 pagodas, as well as the foundation of the temple, have been preserved.

Oksunbong - 옥순봉/玉筍峰 - Literally, "Jade Bamboo Shoot Peak". Actually, Oksunbong is located in Jecheon, not Dangyang; at one time, Yi Hwang (see 1000 won bill) asked to be taken to the county Tanyan; but was refused...

Chogyesa Temple is located in the heart of the capital of South Korea - Seoul. Despite the small area, the temple is the central administrative temple of the largest school of Buddhism in Korea with the same name - "chogye".

Gyeongbokgung Palace became the first residence of Korea's new Joseon Dynasty in 1395.

During the war with Japan (1592-1598) the palace was almost completely destroyed; however, it was restored in the middle of the 19th century and again became the residence of the Korean kings.

The palace is the architectural center of the northern part of the city of Seoul and impresses both with its size and extraordinary symmetry.

You will not only be able to capture yourself against the background of classical palace architecture, but also hear an entertaining story from our guide about the history, palace culture, the customs of the royal family, the symbolic meaning of the material attributes of the palace.

In the heart of Seoul, you can find an amazing architectural marvel — the Seoul Anglican Cathedral. Its history is both astonishing and fascinating.

So, in the early 1920s, when the skies were bluer than the dream of a weary builder, the Right Reverend Mark N. Trollope, the third Bishop of the Anglican Church of Korea, envisioned the construction of a cathedral. Funding for this idea came from the sacrificial offerings of the faithful Korean church members. These courageous Koreans were so devout that they could challenge the gravitational pull of any planet.

The British architect Arthur Dixon designed the cathedral. On May 2, 1926, the consecration ceremony took place, and everything was ready to begin construction. However, at that time, Japan ruled Korea, and it turned out that completing the project in its original cruciform shape was more difficult than explaining the meaning of life to the entire universe.

Since the cathedral was built during the Japanese colonial rule in Korea, it was impossible to finish the church according to the original design of the cruciform building. Therefore, the transepts on either side and the nave were shortened, and the building remained mostly unfinished.

The Cosmic Miracle of 1993

However, as they say, nothing is lost in the galaxy, especially if it involves architects' blueprints. In 1993, as if by the will of fate itself, the original plans were discovered in a library in England.

And so, in 1996, after long and convoluted years, the cathedral was finally completed according to the original plans. Now it stood as it should have from the very beginning — magnificent, splendid, and ready to welcome all visitors, whether earthlings or alien tourists.

Insadong is famous for the abundance of souvenir shops, traditional restaurants and tea houses, boutiques.

Insadong-kil Pedestrian Street is the central street of the area.

Often you can see street performances - traditional Korean samul-nori percussion quartet or martial arts tekkyon, taekwon-do or performances of youth groups in the fusion style, etc.

One of the central streets of Seoul, Jongno (literally "Bell Avenue") is named after the pavilion of the same name, which houses the main bell of the country. It is this bell that the best people of the country beat on New Year's Eve.

However, even mere mortals can hit it for good luck: at 12:00 noon, the pavilion is usually opened for visitors. However, a limited number of guests are allowed.

Shopping area, cafes, restaurants. The central Catholic Cathedral of Korea is also situated here.

A great opportunity to get acquainted with the history of the introduction of Christianity into Korea!

Symbiosis of urban landscape architecture and nature - the Cheonggyecheon River; everything is artificial in it: the bed of the river, the banks, the water itself ...

In fact, it was a real, natural river; but after the Korean War, it was "hidden" underground. As a result of the grandiose Cheonggyecheon restoration project in 2005, the river was reopened to visitors and residents of Seoul.

The complex of the central Gwanghwamun Square in front of the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace, which is the compositional center of the capital of Korea, offers amazing views of Seoul: on one side is the main residence of the kings of the Joseon state (now a museum). But along the  Sejong-daero Avenue, departing from the square, there are high-rise modern buildings: government, embassies, Kyobo - the largest bookstore in Korea. Further down the avenue we can see the Seoul City Hall and still further - the Great South Gate of Namdaemun (National Treasure No. 1).

The unique architectural structure was opened to the general public (and city officials, of course) in 2013.

Its uniqueness lies in environmentally friendly, unusual and unexpected solutions: a double facade of an unusual shape, reminiscent of a sea wave, covering, by the way, the former Seoul City Hall; choice of heating sources; way of preserving the old city hall, Guinness record for the world's largest vertical green façade (internal).

To the northeast of Gyeongbokgung Palace lies the scenic hilly area of ​​Samcheon-dong. Due to the fact that the residence of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan was located north of Gyeongbokgung (and west of Samcheon-dong), development activity in Samcheon-dong is very limited. Thus, despite the unique location in the center of the capital of Korea, there are no high-rise buildings in this area, and the cost of land is relatively low. This feature gives the area a unique charm: art galleries have chosen it; cafes and restaurants; flea markets and boutiques of stylized Korean clothes; here you will see a large number of preserved Korean-style houses - hanok.

The name of the district comes from the name of the government office of the Kingdom of Joseon, Samcheon-jeong (also known as Seogyeok-jeon); Samcheon-jeong's activities included performing Taoist sacrifices to Heaven, Earth and Stars. Literally, the name translates as "Districts / quarter of three purity": "Clean (light) mountains and clean water lead to greater purity and kindness of the human soul."

It is a unique museum in Korea specializing in petrogliphs. The museum is situated a short walk (about 1 km) from both the Bangudae and Cheonjeon-ri petrogliphs.

Not only the interior of the museum boasting a sophisticated media systems, but the modern and inspiring exterior make an inpression on the visitors.

The Cheongjeon-ri petroglyphs are located very close (about 2 km) from the Pangudae petroglyphs. Chronologically, they were the first to be discovered by a group of researchers in 1973.

In addition to the petroglyphs themselves, dating back to the Neolithic era, the rock has preserved a curious record of the Silla era on a hanmun.

The Pangude petroglyphs are the oldest depictions of whaling in the world. The rock paintings are so realistic that zoologists can even identify the type of animal from them! Whales, leopards, tigers, wild boars - only about 20 species of animals in 300 pictures carved on a rock about 8 by 5 meters in size.

Dinosaurs also left a legacy here, but directly, with their legs, so to speak: along the picturesque banks of the river, you can find real footprints of real dinosaurs!

The rock is located on the banks of the picturesque Daegokchon River, a tributary of the river. Taehwa, captivated with its rocky primitive landscapes of artists, poets and famous public figures not only of the Neolithic, but also of less distant eras - Silla, Goryeo and Joseon.