Sculpture Scattered Around Seoul

Seoul has a strong contemporary art scene and street art is on display all through the city.  New buildings and communities are constructed with art tightly integrated into the design of each building and the grounds.  Here's a few great pieces that I run across in my rambles through Seoul and nearby Pangyo.

 Art in the streets

Visiting Seoul has been a great adventure and I'll have to come back some time when its warmer and explore more of the city and some of the surrounding countryside.

Ihwa Mural Village in Seoul

Just outside Naksan Park (just inside the Seoul City Wall), Ihwa Mural Village is set on a steep hillside, with great views of Seoul.  The area has been revitalized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, under the "Art in City" project to set 70 artists at work painting murals on the building walls, fences, and rooftops.

Streets of Ihwa

I wander up and down and enjoy.

 Murals everywhere

The art certainly attracts a lot of tourists and I have to occasionally wait my turn to photograph a particular painting.  However, it is reported that the residents, mostly elderly Korean citizens, are not exactly pleased with the tourist influx.  I try to be polite and respectful as I enjoy the scenes.

Seoul City Wall and Museum

The Seoul City Wall was initially constructed over six centuries ago, starting in 1396 in the early years of the Joseon Dynasty.  The wall was built to match the natural topography of the land and the city inside was organized according to the Confucian theory of an ideal capital.  The main streets of the city connected through the city wall gates to main roads that led to all parts of the kingdom.

The Seoul City Wall museum is located near the Heunginjimun gate of the city, at a spot where a portion of the city wall still exists for walking.  The museum is dedicated to presenting the historical and cultural significance of the City Wall in the history of Seoul.

Seoul City Wall

 City wall gates

 Construction of the wall

After absorbing the story of the wall, I head out for my own walk on the wall.

Heunginjimun gate

 City wall from the inside

 Peering out through the wall

 City wall from the outside

At the highest point in this part of the wall, Naksan Park, offers great views of the city, outside and inside the wall.

 Naksan Park at the peak

The Seoul City Wall was an important part of the city, stretching 18.6 km (11.6 miles) along the ridges of Seoul's four inner mountains, and it is great the way it has been preserved for tourists and locals to experience and enjoy.