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Illustration: Walking Gunsan’s modern cultural heritage — two people walking down a lane between old two-storey wooden houses and a domed red-brick building

GuidesModern heritage walk

Walking Gunsan's modern cultural heritage: the order to follow

Park at the Modern History Museum lot (free) and walk to eight places, ending at Dongguksa Temple.

The straight-line legs add up to about 1.7 km. The route starts with the Honam Customs Museum, the Modern History Museum, the Modern Art Museum and the Modern Architecture Museum. It continues to the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office, Chowon Photo Studio, the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong and Dongguksa Temple. Six of the eight close every Monday, so walk on Tuesday–Sunday. One combined museum ticket (3,000 won for adults) covers the three paid sites: the Modern History Museum, the Modern Art Museum and the Modern Architecture Museum. Gyeongam-dong Railroad Village is about 2.6 km from Dongguksa Temple, so get there separately. All distances are straight-line distances and differ from actual travel distances.

The 11 places in this guideFull list

  1. Modern History Museum

    Museums and exhibitions

    Hours
    March–October 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30)November–February 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
    Closed days
    Every Monday more

  2. Dongguksa Temple

    Alleys and Culture · Geumgwang-dong

    Hours
    Summer 08:00–19:00Winter 08:00–18:00
    Closed days
    Open all year

  3. Honam Customs Museum

    Museums and exhibitions · Jangmi-dong

    Hours
    10:00–17:00
    Closed days
    Every Monday

  4. Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office

    Cultural heritage

    Hours
    10:00–17:00 (lunch break 12:00–13:00)
    Closed days
    Every Monday

  5. Chowon Photo Studio

    Alleys and Culture · Sinchang-dong

    Hours
    09:00–21:00 (winter, November–February)
    Closed days
    Open all year

  6. Gyeongam-dong Railroad Village

    Alleys and Culture · Gyeongam-dong

    Hours
    Always open
    Closed days
    Open all year

  7. Former Japanese 18th Bank Gunsan Branch

    Cultural heritage

    Hours
    09:00–18:00
    Closed days
    Every Monday / January 1

  8. Gunsan Modern Architecture Museum

    Museums and exhibitions

    Hours
    Winter 09:00–17:00, summer 09:00–18:00Summer (last entry 17:30), Winter (last entry 16:30)
    Closed days
    Every Monday more

  9. Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong, Gunsan (Hirotsu House)

    Alleys and Culture · Sinheung-dong

    Hours
    10:00–17:00Last entry 20 minutes before closing more
    Closed days
    Every Monday

  10. Haemanggul Tunnel

    Cultural heritage · Haemang-dong

    Hours
    09:00–18:00
    Closed days
    Open all year
  11. 1 moreSee the full list

Photos: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3 (no changes allowed), KOGL Type 1

Eight places from the Honam Customs Museum to Dongguksa Temple, about 1.7 km in straight-line legs

  • Leave the car at the Modern History Museum parking lot (free) and start at the Honam Customs Museum, about 110 m away in a straight line.
  • Here is the order, with straight-line distances from the previous spot.
  • Honam Customs Museum → the Modern History Museum (about 110 m) → the Modern Art Museum (about 120 m) → the Modern Architecture Museum (about 140 m).
  • Then → the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office (about 400 m) → Chowon Photo Studio (about 310 m) → the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong (about 250 m) → Dongguksa Temple (about 400 m).
  • The total is about 1.7 km.
  • The first four are grouped between 244-7 and 214 Haemang-ro, so you can finish the three paid exhibitions first.
  • The last four go south along Guyeong 2-gil, Guyeong 1-gil and Dongguksa-gil (Dongguksa Temple Road).
  • From the end point, Dongguksa Temple, to the Modern History Museum is about 970 m in a straight line.
  • All distances in this section are straight lines between two points, so actual travel distances differ.

Haemang-ro, formerly Honmachi-dori, is the main axis of the grid town laid out after the port opened

  • Haemang-ro was once called Honmachi-dori, a Japanese-style street name.
  • After the port opened in 1899, planned roads were laid on the low ground between two hills, with Honmachi-dori at the center.
  • Zenshu-dori, Yamato-machi, Asahi-machi and Meiji-machi formed the main roads, and 1-jo to 9-jo Streets, numbered from the east, formed the small roads, creating a grid-shaped town.
  • The mission hall (1909) where Dongguksa Temple began was also on 1-jo Street among these.
  • The former Meiji Street is today's Jungang-ro 1-ga, and Haemanggul Tunnel links this street with Haemang-dong.

Six places close on Mondays; on Tuesday–Sunday, start after 10:00

  • The Honam Customs Museum, the Modern History Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the Modern Architecture Museum, the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office and the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong are closed every Monday.
  • The Modern History Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the Modern Architecture Museum and the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong also close on January 1.
  • If you walk on a Monday, plan around Dongguksa Temple, open all year (08:00–19:00 in summer and 08:00–18:00 in winter), Haemanggul Tunnel and Gyeongam-dong Railroad Village.
  • Chowon Photo Studio is also open all year, so you can stop by on a Monday.
  • Tuesday to Sunday, the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office and the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong open at 10:00, and the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office has a lunch break 12:00–13:00.
  • The Modern Architecture Museum is open 09:00–18:00 in summer and 09:00–17:00 in winter.
  • Korea Tourism Organization data defines summer as March–October and winter as November–February, with last entry at 17:30 and 16:30, respectively.
  • By the museum website, the Modern History Museum is open 09:00–18:00 from March to October and 09:00–17:00 from November to February (last entry 17:30 and 16:30), and the Honam Customs Museum is open 10:00–17:00.

Three places charge admission; the combined museum ticket is 3,000 won for adults

  • The places that charge admission are the Modern History Museum and the Modern Art Museum and Modern Architecture Museum.
  • At the Modern History Museum, a single ticket is 2,000 won for adults, 1,000 won for teens and soldiers and 500 won for children.
  • The other two are 500 won each for adults, 300 won for teens and soldiers and 200 won for children.
  • The museum combined ticket adds the Wibongham warship at Jinpo Marine Park to these three and costs 3,000 won for adults, 2,000 won for teens and soldiers and 1,000 won for children.
  • For adults, the three single tickets also add up to 3,000 won, so the combined ticket gets you the Wibongham warship at the same price.
  • For teens, soldiers and children who see only the three places, the single tickets add up to less than the combined ticket. There are separate fares for Gunsan residents.
  • Cards are accepted at the Modern History Museum but not at the Modern Architecture Museum.
  • The Honam Customs Museum, the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office, Chowon Photo Studio, the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong, Dongguksa Temple, Haemanggul Tunnel and Gyeongam-dong Railroad Village are free.

No parking at the four places on Guyeong-gil and Dongguksa-gil (Dongguksa Temple Road) or at Haemanggul Tunnel; go to Gyeongam-dong Railroad Village separately

  • You cannot park at the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office, Chowon Photo Studio, the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong, Dongguksa Temple or Haemanggul Tunnel.
  • Leave the car at the Modern History Museum or Jinpo Marine Park parking lot and walk.
  • Haemanggul Tunnel is about 470 m from the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office and about 510 m from Chowon Photo Studio in a straight line, so you can fit it in between the two.
  • Gyeongam-dong Railroad Village is about 2.6 km from Dongguksa Temple and about 2.2 km from the Modern Architecture Museum in a straight line, so you travel there separately from the walking route. It is always open, and parking is free.
  • The distances in this section are also straight-line distances, so actual travel distances differ.

Six places overlap with Gunsan City's Course 1, and two are only on this route

  • Gunsan City's Course 1 (Modern Cultural Heritage Tour) starts at the Modern History Museum and links 11 places. It passes the Honam Customs Museum, the floating pier, the Modern Architecture Museum, the Modern Art Museum, Dongguksa Temple, the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong, Mallaengi Village, Haemanggul Tunnel and Susi Tower in Wolmyeong Park, and ends at Wolmyeong Lake. This route groups six of them, on Haemang-ro and in Sinheung-dong and Geumgwang-dong, and adds the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office and Chowon Photo Studio, which are not on Course 1.
  • The floating pier (Gunsan Inner Harbor Floating Pier) is the stop right after the Honam Customs Museum on Course 1, but it has no location coordinates, so it was left out of the distance total above.
  • The former Joseon Bank Gunsan Branch, used as the Modern Architecture Museum, appears as a setting in Chae Man-sik's novel 'Muddy Stream.' Course 2 (Muddy Stream Course) starts at the floating pier. It passes the Modern Architecture Museum, the Rice Exchange Monument and Jjaebo Wharf, and also goes through Dongguksa Temple.

The 11 places in this guide

  1. 1

    Honam Customs MuseumMuseums and exhibitions · Jangmi-dong

    It is the Honam Customs Museum main building, built in June 1908 during the Korean Empire. All annex buildings were torn down, and only the main building remains, now used as the Honam Customs Exhibition Hall. It is about 110 m from the Modern History Museum in a straight line (actual travel distance differs) and free, so it is placed as the starting point of the route.

    Hours
    10:00–17:00
    Closed days
    Every Monday
    Fee
    Free
    Honam Customs Museum photo 1
  2. 2

    Modern History MuseumMuseums and exhibitions

    This museum shows Gunsan's past as a logistics port with artifacts from prehistoric times to the modern era. In the Maritime Logistics History Hall on the 1st floor and the Modern Life Hall on the 3rd floor, you can get the background for the whole route first. Parking is free, it takes cards, and the combined museum ticket also covers the Modern Art Museum and Modern Architecture Museum.

    Hours
    March–October 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30)November–February 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
    Closed days
    Every Monday more
    Fee
    Adults 2,000 wonMuseum combined ticket: Adults 3,000 won more
    Modern History Museum photo 1
  3. 3

    Former Japanese 18th Bank Gunsan BranchCultural heritage

    It is a 2-story building with semicircular arched windows that the Gunsan branch of Japan's 18th Bank, headquartered in Nagasaki, used. It is now the exhibition space of the Modern Art Museum. Of the Japanese 18th Bank buildings remaining in Korea, it is the only one that keeps its original form, and admission is 500 won for adults.

    Hours
    09:00–18:00
    Closed days
    Every Monday / January 1
    Fee
    Adults 500 wonMuseum combined ticket: Adults 3,000 won more
    Former Japanese 18th Bank Gunsan Branch photo 1
  4. 4

    Gunsan Modern Architecture MuseumMuseums and exhibitions

    It is an exhibition hall in the former Joseon Bank Gunsan Branch building, the center of rice exploitation during the Japanese colonial period, repaired and restored in 2008. It is on Haemang-ro, the same street as the Modern Art Museum. It opens 09:00–18:00 in summer and 09:00–17:00 in winter. Admission is 500 won for adults, and cards are not accepted.

    Hours
    Winter 09:00–17:00, summer 09:00–18:00Summer (last entry 17:30), Winter (last entry 16:30)
    Closed days
    Every Monday more
    Fee
    Adults 500 wonMuseum combined ticket: Adults 3,000 won more
    Gunsan Modern Architecture Museum photo 1
  5. 5

    This pier floats on concrete pontoons so large ships can dock despite the big difference between high and low tide. It was built during the 3rd and 4th harbor construction projects at Gunsan Port in 1926–1938 and was used to ship out rice. It is the stop after the Honam Customs Museum on Gunsan City's Course 1, and it was registered as National Registered Cultural Heritage in 2018.

  6. 6

    Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch OfficeCultural heritage

    It is an L-shaped, 2-story reinforced-concrete building that a food control agency used from 1938 to 1945 during the Japanese colonial period. After liberation it served the Office of Foreign Supply, the Public Procurement Service and Gunsan City Hall Annex 3, and it is now a VR and media art exhibition space. It opens free 10:00–17:00, with a lunch break 12:00–13:00, so time your visit.

    Hours
    10:00–17:00 (lunch break 12:00–13:00)
    Closed days
    Every Monday
    Fee
    Free
    Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office photo 1
  7. 7

    Chowon Photo StudioAlleys and Culture · Sinchang-dong

    It is the photo studio of the movie 'Christmas in August,' released in January 1998. Torn down after filming, it was rebuilt by Gunsan City, and you can look around and take photos for free. It lies between the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office and the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong, so you stop by in the middle of the route.

    Hours
    09:00–21:00 (winter, November–February)
    Closed days
    Open all year
    Fee
    Free
    Chowon Photo Studio photo 1
  8. 8

    Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong, Gunsan (Hirotsu House)Alleys and Culture · Sinheung-dong

    This wooden house was built by Hirotsu Keisaburo, a fabric merchant and member of the colonial city council. A Japanese garden lies between the 2-story main house and the single-story guest wing attached at an angle. In 2005, it became Registered Cultural Heritage No. 183. The interior is not open, so you can see only the outside and the garden for free, 10:00–17:00. There is no parking.

    Hours
    10:00–17:00Last entry 20 minutes before closing more
    Closed days
    Every Monday
    Fee
    Free
    Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong, Gunsan (Hirotsu House) photo 1
  9. 9

    Dongguksa TempleAlleys and Culture · Geumgwang-dong

    This temple began as a mission hall that a Japanese Soto school monk opened on 1-jo Street of the foreign settlement in 1909. Unlike traditional Korean temples, its Edo-style main hall is connected by a corridor to the monks' quarters. It is open all year and free, so it is the end point of the route that you can visit even on Mondays, when other places are closed.

    Hours
    Summer 08:00–19:00Winter 08:00–18:00
    Closed days
    Open all year
    Fee
    Free
    Dongguksa Temple photo 1
  10. 10

    Haemanggul TunnelCultural heritage · Haemang-dong

    This tunnel was dug through Haemang Pass in 1926, during the 3rd harbor construction project at Gunsan Port, to link the former Meiji Street (now Jungang-ro 1-ga) with Haemang-dong. It is 131 m long and 4.5 m high, and now only pedestrians can pass. It is about 470 m from the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office in a straight line (actual travel distance differs), so you can add it to the route. It is open all year.

    Hours
    09:00–18:00
    Closed days
    Open all year
    Fee
    Free
    Haemanggul Tunnel photo 1
  11. 11

    Gyeongam-dong Railroad VillageAlleys and Culture · Gyeongam-dong

    This village formed as people settled beside the tracks after a 2.5 km railway linking the Paper Korea factory and Gunsan Station was laid in 1944. It is always open, all year and free, and you can try on school uniforms. It is about 2.6 km from Dongguksa Temple in a straight line (actual travel distance differs), so get there separately from the walk. Parking is free.

    Hours
    Always open
    Closed days
    Open all year
    Fee
    Free
    Gyeongam-dong Railroad Village photo 1

Photos: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 1, KOGL Type 3 (no changes allowed)

FAQ

How far is a walk around Gunsan's modern cultural heritage sites?

Linking eight places adds up to about 1.7 km in straight-line legs. The route runs from the Honam Customs Museum through the Modern History Museum, Modern Art Museum, Modern Architecture Museum and Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office. It then goes through Chowon Photo Studio and the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong to Dongguksa Temple. Gyeongam-dong Railroad Village is about 2.6 km from Dongguksa Temple in a straight line, so get there separately. Both are straight-line distances and differ from actual travel distances.

Can I see Gunsan's modern heritage sites on a Monday?

The Honam Customs Museum, Modern History Museum, Modern Art Museum, Modern Architecture Museum, Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office and Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong close every Monday. Dongguksa Temple, Haemanggul Tunnel and Gyeongam-dong Railroad Village are open all year, so you can visit them on Mondays. Chowon Photo Studio is also open all year.

How much is the Gunsan combined museum ticket, and what does it include?

The museum combined ticket covers the Modern History Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the Modern Architecture Museum and the Wibongham warship at Jinpo Marine Park. It costs 3,000 won for adults, 2,000 won for teens and soldiers and 1,000 won for children. For adults, it adds the Wibongham warship at the same price as the three single tickets combined (2,000 won + 500 won + 500 won). The Honam Customs Museum, the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong, Dongguksa Temple and Chowon Photo Studio are free.

Where do I park to walk Gunsan's modern heritage sites?

The Modern History Museum lot is free. Start walking from the Honam Customs Museum, about 110 m away in a straight line (actual travel distance differs). The Modern Architecture Museum also uses the Modern History Museum or Jinpo Marine Park lot. You cannot park at the Former Joseon Food Corporation Gunsan Branch Office, Chowon Photo Studio, the Japanese-style House in Sinheung-dong, Dongguksa Temple or Haemanggul Tunnel.

Source: Korea Tourism Organization (VisitKorea)

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