Gwangju artist street and busy Geumnam ro | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Gwangjuho (Gwangju Lake) Ecological Park is an ecological park developed on a 184,948m² site near the lakeshore, consisting of theme areas such as a natural observation center, nature learning site, lawn resting plaza, and waterside wetlands. Located about 30 minutes from downtown Gwangju, it is easily accessible for citizens and has been used as a natural ecology learning site for children and a resting space for citizens since its opening in March 2006. The park gives an overall quiet and cool feeling, and unless it is cold weather, visitors can directly observe ecological materials of flowers, animals, and plants. There are 170,000 wildflowers of various colors planted in themed flower zones, including azaleas, forsythias, nandinas, roses, rhododendrons, and hydrangeas, as well as a deciduous plant garden, waterside observation deck, rock garden, and about 3,000 trees such as Styrax japonicus, quince trees, Euonymus japonicus, and maple trees. Additionally, various birds hatch and grow in the marsh area. Wooden stairs have been built between metasequoia-lined streets.

Like Daehak-ro and Insadong Street in Seoul, and Piff Street in Busan, each region has streets that reflect their local character. The representative street of Gwangju Gwangyeoksi is Gwangju Art Street. Art Street was created to carry on and develop the tradition of Gwangju, an artistic city and the cultural and artistic center of Honam. To accommodate artists, symbolic works representing local art such as calligraphy, ceramics, and crafts are gathered, exhibited, and sold. It is a famous site where anyone can easily experience the essence of Namdo art, focusing on Korean painting, calligraphy, and Namdo chang. Exploring the area from in front of Gwangju Dongbu Police Station to the intersection behind Jungang Elementary School takes about one hour just to look around, and about two hours if you enter stores to appreciate the art. It is a must-visit for first-time travelers to Gwangju. Every Saturday, the street is designated as a "car-free street" where various cultural events can be enjoyed. Once a month, events led by the Namdo Culture and Arts Promotion Association such as concerts, light festivals, underground performances, character culture merchandise exhibitions, and light festivals are held to further activate Art Street.

Jeil Banjeom in Gwangju is a Chinese cuisine specialty restaurant located on Chungjang-ro street. It started in Gwangju in the 1960s and has been operating for over 60 years, run by a Chinese-Korean proprietor. The restaurant offers various Chinese dishes including old-fashioned jajangmyeon made with fried chunjang, vegetables, potatoes, and special pork cuts, and tangsuyuk made from pork loin. Especially recommended are the gunmandu (fried dumplings) and fried squid, accompanied by a unique onion sauce. Although the restaurant is spacious, it is popular among locals, so it is advisable to time your visit carefully during lunch. It is located between Geumnamno 5-ga Station and Geumnamno 4-ga Station on Gwangju Subway Line 1, about a 2-minute walk away, making it easily accessible by public transportation.

Geumnam-ro is a 2.3 km-long street in Dong-gu, Gwangju Gwangyeoksi, consisting of Geumnam-ro 1 to 5-ga. Among them, the 518m stretch from the old Jeonnam Provincial Office in Geumnam-ro 1-ga to the former Gwangju Bank intersection holds the history of modern Korea, including the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, and was designated as the 'UNESCO Democratic Human Rights Road' by Gwangju City on August 30, 2011. Geumnam-ro is a street of fierce resistance where Gwangju citizens confronted martial law forces during the May 18 popular uprising period. The first student sit-in protest took place in front of the Catholic Center on May 18, and from May 19, countless citizens gathered endlessly, burning their will to struggle. On the evening of May 20, a large-scale protest involved over 100 various vehicles, mainly taxis. Until the martial law forces' mass shooting on May 21, about 300,000 Gwangju citizens gathered daily on Geumnam-ro, demanding the halt of military dictatorship and urging democratization, making it a symbol of the May 18 popular uprising. Thereafter, struggles to clarify the truth of the uprising continued centered on this street, and citizens' assemblies for democratization were held continuously at the Catholic Center. Even now, all events, rallies, and festivals held in Gwangju pass through Geumnam-ro, heading to the old Jeonnam Provincial Office (now the National Asia Culture Center).

건물의 구조를 살펴보면 일자형 평면의 팔작(八作)집이면서도 우측의 경사진 부지를 자연 그대로 이용하여 1퇴(退) 공간의 반지하층을 구성하여 율동감을 주었다. 좌측으로도 1퇴(退)를 개방공간으로 주어 비대칭의 평면과 입면을 형성하여 단조롭지 않게 하였다. 서향인 뒤쪽은 너비 60m의 마루를 두르고 미닫이 창문을 만들어 서쪽의 빛을 일단 차단시키고 있으며, 미닫이 창문 때문에 방이 어두워지는 것을 해결하기 위해 벽면 윗부분에 띠판창을 두었다.