Walking Through Gyeongju: A Summer Journey to Korea’s Ancient Capital

Walking Through Gyeongju: A Summer Journey to Korea’s Ancient Capital

In this post, I share a 4-day trip to Gyeongju, visiting Anapji Pond, Daereungwon, Cheonmachong, and Wolseong — historical sites from Korea’s ancient Silla Kingdom.

From July 31 to August 3, I spent four days and three nights traveling in Gyeongju. I had been meaning to write about it for quite some time, and now I’m finally sharing some of the photos I hadn’t posted yet.

Visiting Anapji Pond in Gyeongju

Originally, Anapji was on our night itinerary, but after settling into the accommodation, I felt restless and decided to explore early under the blazing sun. I slung on my backpack and headed downtown by bus.

The scenery at Anapji had changed a lot since my old school trip. It felt like a completely different place.

This dice-like artifact was found at the bottom of Wolji Pond (Anapji’s original name). It has various commands written on each side, suggesting it was used for drinking games in ancient times. I thought it could be amusing even on today’s variety shows.

This old zelkova tree on the hill had more charm than any pavilion nearby. How many years has it stood quietly watching over this place?

Lotus flowers blooming around Wolseong Pond. I wished I were taller so I could capture better shots from above.

Daereungwon Tomb Complex

Daereungwon, famous for Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb), is part of the Gyeongju Historic Areas designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. If you're visiting, be sure to stop by the Tomb of King Michu before heading to Cheonmachong. The path layout makes it hard to return once you pass by.

This is a Gyeongju bread store near the entrance of Daereungwon. It’s not the original—Hwangnam Bread is the real deal, located near Gyeongju Station. But if you don’t want to wait in long lines, you can buy it at the Hwangnam Bread outlet inside Singyeongju Station.

We had hamburgers at Singyeongju Station (the area around the station is almost empty, and the only dining options inside are Kisoya and Lotteria. Most people mention Kisoya not for the taste, but because there are no other choices). Since that meal felt a bit lacking, we also tried some Gyeongju bread at this shop.

There were free samples in baskets by the display, along with cold tea and chairs for resting—a small gesture that left a great impression of Gyeongju. The freshly made bread was delicious, even though it wasn’t from the original bakery. We bought two boxes of barley bread and carried them around, eating as we went.

It reminded me of dorayaki from the Doraemon cartoons, but it was even softer, moister, and chewier.

The word "dorayaki" is said to have multiple origins. One theory is that it resembles a gong ("dora" means gong, "yaki" means grilled). Another is that it was inspired by Western-style pancakes introduced about a century ago. It also became widely popular because it's the favorite snack of the cartoon character Doraemon.

The path leading to Michuwangneung and Cheonmachong is flanked by tall pine trees, creating a serene atmosphere.

Crape myrtle blossoms were in full bloom all around Gyeongju. Even the city streets were lined with them. I’ll probably always remember Gyeongju as the city of crape myrtles.

Entrance to Cheonmachong. It brought back memories of my school trip. It was hard to take photos without people in the frame, given the hot weather and crowds.

Cheomseongdae and Wolseong

Back in the day, Cheomseongdae stood alone in an empty field, and buses could park right in front of it. Now, the surrounding area is beautifully landscaped and illuminated, making it a great place to visit at night.

Cosmos flowers bloomed throughout Wolseong. My husband, who spent part of his childhood in Gyeongju, once won his first art prize for drawing these cosmos flowers around Cheomseongdae. Today, the entire Wolseong area is maintained like a large park, and many people enjoy exploring it by rental bicycle.

Map

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Though I’ve categorized the places into Anapji, Daereungwon, Cheonmachong, and Wolseong, they are all within walking distance. The National Gyeongju Museum is just across the street, and a short walk north leads to Hwangnyongsa and Bunhwangsa.

Gyeongju is a living museum that holds over 2,000 years of history. In Europe, many cultural artifacts have survived because they were made of stone. In contrast, Korea’s traditional buildings and artifacts—often made of wood—have not withstood the passage of time as well.

Despite frequent invasions, many of Gyeongju’s cultural relics remain, often because they were made of wood or metal and were preserved inside tombs or other protected spaces.

Gyeongju is also known as the city of ancient tombs. These mounds, which resemble natural hills, dot the city. Confirmed royal tombs are called "neung" (능), tombs with notable relics but unclear ownership are "chong" (총), and the rest are simply "bun" (분).

Unlike the many looted tombs of Goguryeo and Baekje, Silla tombs have remained relatively intact. That’s because many are made in the stone mound tomb style, sealed without any entrance. Even if someone tried to dig in, the structure would collapse, making looting nearly impossible.

Originally published in Korean on Haruilgi (하루일기) on August 17, 2013.

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