Yeongdeok Cultural Heritage Course 2 | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

General Sindolseok Historic Site is a space dedicated to commemorating General Sindolseok (1878–1908), a militia leader who lost his life at a young age while engaged in anti-Japanese national salvation movements. After the Eulsa Treaty, General Sindolseok raised militias and achieved remarkable victories by annihilating Japanese troops in Yeongdeok, Yeongyang, and Uljin. He was posthumously awarded the Republic of Korea’s Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1962. The birthplace of General Sindolseok was originally built as a thatched cottage by his father Sindokju around 1850, but it was burned down by Japanese authorities around 1940 to suppress independence efforts. It was rebuilt as a tiled roof house in 1942 and restored to the current thatched style in 1995. Within the site is a shrine housing a portrait of the General dressed in tiger attire, reflecting his nickname 'Tiger of Taebaeksan,' along with an indoor memorial hall. The memorial exhibits records of General Sindolseok’s biography, folklore, the Battle of Taebaeksan, the atrocities of Japanese invasion, militia resistance activities, Japanese weapons and execution tools, and 18 artifacts including long knives, matchlock guns, spears, and swords used by the militias. Outside, there is the Wolsongjeong poetry monument commemorating the General’s patriotic feelings expressed at Wolsongjeong in Pyeonghae at age 27, as well as story-format records about his childhood legends and militia activities. Visitors can also experience stone lifting and archery activities related to General Sindolseok, making it an accessible and enjoyable space for children to understand late Joseon militia activities and cultivate patriotic spirit.

The Yeongdeok Muan Park Clan Mui Gongpa Ancestral House was completed in the mid-1600s by Park Seon (1596–1669), the fourth son of Park Uijang, who distinguished himself in the Battle of Gyeongju during the Japanese invasions of Korea. Situated facing south, overlooking a front field with a hill behind, the entire building complex consists of the main gate building, the main house (Jeongchim), the inner gate (NaeSammun), and the ancestral shrine (Sadang). The main house is an M-shaped building with 10 bays at the front and 7 bays on the side; the Sarangchae has a hipped-and-gable roof, while the inner quarters (Anchae) have a gable roof. Although some structural changes occurred through multiple restorations, key architectural features remain, such as the central main pillar, the large beams in the Sarangdaecheong, and the ornamental Paryeondaegong at the top, reflecting the dignity of Mui Gong and mid-Joseon architectural techniques in a large-scale ancestral home. In front of the ancestral shrine stands a 370-year-old pagoda tree, designated as a protected tree, which has grown alongside the house. ※ This national heritage site is generally open for viewing, but access may be restricted due to owner or private circumstances.

Bongsudae refers to an ancient communication method using torches and smoke to convey urgent messages, where signals were sent by lighting fires on high mountains—smoke during the day and flames at night. In the Joseon Dynasty during King Sejong the Great's reign, as the national borders became clearer, bongsu facilities were systematically established, placing bongsudae on mountain peaks approximately every 12 km. The time to transfer information from bongsudae to bongsudae was about 20 minutes, and it is estimated that it took about nine hours to send messages from this Yeongdeok Daesosan Bongsudae to Seoul's Namsan via Yeongdeok Chuksanpo. At the top of the mountain, defensive walls were built, and inside the fortress, a bongsudon was constructed with an 11-meter diameter and 3.5-meter height. Several remaining bongsudae have been designated as local cultural assets for protection, and among them, Daesosan Bongsudae is well preserved in its original form, making it valuable to understand the communication methods of the Joseon Dynasty. From Daesosan Bongsudae, you can overlook Yeongdeok Chuksan Port and Yeonghae-myeon in the distance, and it is also a famous spot for sunrise.

어촌부락으로 죽도산이 보이는 이 곳 앞바다에서 잡은 게의 다리 모양이 대나무와 비슷하다고 하여 대게로 불렸다. 마을 내력을 따라 영덕대게원조마을로 명명되었으며 기념표식을 세웠다.