Visit Donuimun Museum Village!

Gaeun Kim

These days, the weather is perfect for a picnic. But because of covid-19, we should stay at home and follow social- distancing. I hope all of you guys stay safe. Today I would like to introduce a place called Donuimun Museum Village. This place is located near Seodaemun Station. It is closed nowadays because of the virus, but you might be able to visit here as soon as the situation ends. This place is covered by a dense cluster of historic buildings and alleys saved from demolition for Seoul’s 2017 architecture biennale. It is a theme park for those who want to experience an earlier Seoul.

The Donuimun Museum Village includes the Donuimun Exhibition Hall, the House of Independent Activists, the Donuimun Gate Club, the Life History Exhibition Hall, the Donuimmun Game Hall , the Saemunan Theater, the Samgeori Gallery, the Writer Gallery, and the Seoul Future Heritage Museum. Some of the buildings were renovated homes in the 1960s or some were restaurants from the 1990s to the late 2000s.

There are many places you can take pictures. The picture on the left side is described as old clubs. This is a place where Korean people and foreigners had parties and cultural exchanges in Korea during the early 20th century. You could read the customs of the time in a space that seemed to be a reproduction of the old times. On the right picture, there’s trick art painted on the walls. You can wear Korean traditional costumes and take photos at photo zones.

The Donuimun Museum Village has also set up a “hanok experience space” for visitors to enjoy various Korean cultural and artistic experiences over the past 100 years. Visitors will be able to experience a variety of life crafts, including hanji(korean paper) crafts, calligraphy, traditional makeup, old musical arts, embroidery crafts, and dakjongi(Korean paper) workshops. The village yard plans to hold frequent festivals and cultural events such as village stamp tours, small performances and flea markets.

In order to expand the experience of the digital representation of Donuimun gate, a three-floor experience center will be operated in the village. You can not only see a miniature of Donuimun Gate and the exhibition of old photos, but also look around the surroundings of Donuimun Gate and climb the fortress in the VR zone. On the second and third floors, a VR zone will be run where you can experience Donuimun Gate through virtual reality. There is a total of eight VR devices in the VR zone. Seoul City has plans to offer more diverse content that will enable visitors to time travel to the Joseon Period when Donuimun Gate was first constructed or experience Hanyangdoseong, the Seoul City Wall, through VR. Beside these activities, there are so many things you can enjoy. I recommend you to visit Donuimun village and have a wonderful experience there.