Seoul Museum of History – Development of a City

The Seoul Museum of History is located near Gyeonghuigung (경희궁) near Gwanghwamun Station (광화문역).

The museum has a permanent exhibition hall narrating the story of Seoul, ever since its inception in 1392. It is exciting to see how the city experienced such highs and lows throughout its history. There is much to learn in terms of how far Korea has come from its imperial glory and subjugated past. The journey through time helps us relive the drama that took place in days of yesteryear. Making use of photographs from the 1950s and 1960s, the museum attempts to reimagine how Seoul’s landscape changed entirely.

Hanyang

The Seoul Museum of History’s exhibition hall is divided into five zones. The first zone deals with the Hanyang (한양) period from the Joseon (조선) era. Seoul was originally established as Hanyang, the capital at the time. An actual port was constructed outside the city. The basic neighbourhoods that existed are preserved in a miniature map. Bukchon (복촌), currently famous for the Bukchon Hanok Village, used to house high-ranking government officials in Joseon times. The second zone deals with the Korean empire period. During this period of globalization, the Korean people sought reforms to limit foreign influence.

Gyeongseong

From Hanyang, one travels to the Japanese occupied Gyeongseong (경성) in the third zone. One witnesses how Japan subjugated Koreans and stripped away the former Joseon era glory. This submission went on to spur a resistance movement focused on achieving independence for the Korean people. The fourth zone displays Seoul as it was during the Korean War and after liberation. This zone records many important events that took place in and around Seoul from 1945 through 2002. From the ashes of the Korean War, appears a city that has seen record development in the last seventy years. As development and globalization interacted with the Korean people, their lifestyles experienced great changes. The housing scenes displayed give off similar feelings as does watching the drama Reply 1988 (응답하라 1988).

At the very end is the fifth zone. It displays a large scale model of Seoul. It is a bird’s eye view of what the city looks like.

Seoul Museum of History – Surroundings

The Seoul Museum of History is itself a very spacious building situated among immense greenery. A visit to the area is very visually pleasant. All the foliage serves as an escape from the busy and chaotic city life. The Gyeonghuigung Park (경희궁공원) has an array of unique trees and bushes for those interested in gardening. Just around the corner from the museum is the embassy of Oman. It stands out among all the other offices because of its architecture. The traditional Islamic architecture with its intricate latticework offers an entirely different building design from what is common in Seoul. Otherwise, the area contains many offices belonging to the various newspapers in South Korea.

There is also a very cute coffee shop nearby selling really good brewed coffee. It goes by the name of Coffeest. Its interior is rather comfortable as it contains many books. After touring the museum, you should definitely go grab a cup of coffee at this shop.