Climbing Palgongsan mountain of Daegu nature | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Palgongsan is a mountain with an elevation of 1,192 meters that spans Daegu Dong-gu, Gunwi-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do Gyeongsan-si, Yeongcheon-si, and Chilgok-gun. Designated as a provincial park in May 1980, it was elevated to a national park in 2023, becoming the 23rd national park in South Korea. Palgongsan is highly regarded for its natural ecosystem, scenic beauty, and cultural landscapes. It is home to 5,296 species of wildlife, including 15 endangered species such as the red bat, hawk, and otter. Natural scenic resources include 39 mountain peaks, 10 unique rock formations, and 19 valleys. The park also contains abundant cultural assets, including 30 nationally designated cultural properties, 61 provincially designated cultural properties, and 1 registered cultural asset. Palgongsan National Park Gatbawi Area is visited year-round and features a viewpoint in front of Gatbawi where visitors can see the mountain range of Palgongsan at a glance, with the Gwanbong Seokjo Yeorae Jwasang statue at the summit. This statue, believed to be the second most mysterious Buddha statue after Seokguram, was carved from a natural rock on Palgongsan peak by the monk Uihyeon during the Unified Silla period to pray for his deceased mother. The statue is called Gatbawi because it wears a natural stone shaped like a traditional Korean gat hat on its head. The rock on its head was not originally formed together but is said to have been carved with a lotus-patterned crown and placed there during the Goryeo Dynasty. There is a legend that sincerely praying to this statue will grant one wish, attracting many visitors.

A vast cluster of large burial mounds with bumpy surfaces spread out at the southern foot of Palgongsan. They are estimated to have been created around the 5th century during the Three Kingdoms period. Considered the collective graves of the indigenous ruling power of the region, over 210 burial mounds are concentrated here. Excavated artifacts include gold and gilt-bronze ornaments, iron weapons, and pottery engraved with patterns. The mounds have diameters of about 15 to 20 meters and heights of about 4 to 7 meters. It takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to walk around the site. The gentle ridge is easy enough for children to climb, and beyond the ridge where the burial mounds continue, the cityscape of Daegu can be seen at a glance.

Donghwasa Temple is a historic Silla dynasty temple located in the Dohak-dong valley, where the Palgongsan waterfalls, Bindae-gol, and Susut-gol valleys converge on either side. It is the main temple of the 9th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It was originally founded by Geukdan in 493 AD (King Soji's 15th year) and called Yugasa. Later, in 832 AD (King Heungdeok's 7th year), the royal preceptor Simji reconstructed it. Despite being winter, paulownia flowers were in full bloom around the temple, so it was renamed Donghwasa. Most of the existing buildings date from a restoration during the reign of King Yeongjo, including the Daeungjeon Hall, Yeonggyeongjeon, Cheontaegak, Yeongsanjeon, Bongseoru, Simgeomdang, Chilseonggak, Sansingak, Eunghyanggak, Wonimgak, and Cheonanmun. Subsidiary hermitages include Geumdangam, Biroam, Naewonam, Budoam, Yangjinam, and Yeombulam. Donghwasa is also the gateway to various hiking trails in Palgongsan National Park. Paths from the temple lead to Yeombul Peak or Dong Peak via Yeombulam Hermitage, ascend ridges along Bindae-gol valley, and follow Pokpogol from the temple stay entrance to Doma-jae (Sinryeong-jae) or Bareun-jae. Throughout the year, many visitors come to enjoy walking along mountain and valley scenery.

Daegu Citizen Safety Theme Park was established to provide citizen safety education and foster a culture of safety through vivid experiential learning, allowing citizens to appreciate the importance of safety. For practical safety experience, Building 1 operates specialized subway safety experience zones, earthquake safety zones, a future safety video theater (4D), traffic safety zones, and a children's product safety experience center, promoting safety awareness and allowing realistic experience of everyday disaster situations. Especially, the traffic safety experience zone opened in October 2020 offers various traffic safety experiences by riding mini cars, gaining much popularity with children visitors. Building 2, the crisis response experience zone, offers fire extinguishing, smoke and rope descender experience, and a monorail experience zone relocated from Daegu Urban Railway Line 3. The CPR education center provides training to respond to cardiac arrest situations, combining various experiences with emergency education. Outdoors, fire trucks and ambulances, favorite among children, are on display, providing a space to view anytime and take photos with the magnificent Palgongsan scenery.