Gwangju(Buk-gu)

Gwangju National Museum collects and preserves cultural relics from Jeollanam-do. The exhibits are grouped in seven categories according to period and type. The Prehistoric Hall displays stone age tools from the Paleolithic Era, Neolithic Era, and Bronze Ages, as well as other relics from the early Iron Age. Samguk Hall displays many earthenware and ironware items from the Great Onggwan in the Jeolla-do area.The Buddhist Art Hall exhibits cultural Items related to the religion, the Painting Hall exhibits works of artists of the Honam district from the Joseon and modern periods. Jeolla-do is also considered the birthplace of Korean Pottery. The Goryeo Pottery Exhibit Hall showcases the transition from the Cheongja of the Goryeo Period to the Joseon Period's Buncheongsagi and Baekja. It is possible to witness the entire pottery-making process at once. Pottery items are also on display at Joseon Buncheongsagi Baekja Hall.The Shinan Ocean Floor Relic Hall is a unique exhibit hall with items on display from a trade ship submerged for 600 years in the Shinan Sea. The items were excavated during 11 operations that took place from 1976 to 1984. Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month, and the museum is closed on Mondays. 


Gwangju(Dong-gu)

Named after the posthumous title of General Kim Deok-ryeong, Chungjang-ro Street was the site of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement. Today, it is Gwangju’s major fashion district, comparable with Myeongdong Street of Seoul. The streets of Chungjang-ro are lined with shopping malls, clothing stores, restaurants, cafes, movie theaters and various other attractions, providing the ultimate experience of modern culture in Gwangju. It is the city's hub of fashion, both trendy and traditional, as well as venue for diverse performances.


Gwangju(Seo-gu)

Gwangju World Cup Stadium is a major symbol of Gwangju. Designed to reflect the notion of ‘spreading far and wide’ the exterior is shaped like spokes of a wheel. When lit up, the stadium looks like a glowing dome. The ceiling and large ‘Y’-shaped pillars resemble a ‘Go,’ an instrument used in a traditional game from Gwangju, Gossaumnori. It is with design touches such as these that architects of the stadium have sought to capture and reflect traditional aspects of the Gwangju area.


Gwangju(Dong-gu)

Stretching from the (former) Jeollanam-do Provincial Government Office to the Geumnam-ro area, this famous plaza is where the landmark May 18th Democratic Uprising took place. In May 1980, the Jeollanam-do Provincial Government office building was the headquarters of the civil resistance movement and the scene of a number of rallies. The plaza has been officially known as the May 18 Democracy Square (5.18 민주광장, Minju Gwangjang) since 1996.


Gwangju(Buk-gu)

Gwangju Station is the representative train station of Gwangju, a cultural and industrial city located in the southwest region of the Korean peninsula. The station opened its doors in 1922 and moved to its current location in July 1969. In 2004, it was included as a stop along the KTX (Korea Train Express) high-speed rail services. From the station, trains run to and from Yongsan Station (Seoul), Mokpo Station, Daejeon Station, and Suncheon Station.Gwangju is the only metropolitan city in the southwest region of Korea and is an important node in the nation’s transportation network. The city hosts a variety of international festivals and events such as the Gwangju Biennale (an international art exhibition) and the World Kimchi Culture Festival. As a result, Gwangju Station is bustling with tourists all year round.Points of interest nearby Gwangju Station include Mudeungsan Mountain, Jeungsimsa Temple, and Wonhyosa Temple.


Gwangju(Gwangsan-gu)

Songjeong Station (Gwangju Songjeong Station) is located in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju-si. The station serves the KTX train from Yongsan Station and the Honamseon Line from Mokpo Station. It also operates an intercity bus stop, allowing tourists to move to other areas easily.


Gwangju(Nam-gu)

The Owen Monument and Memorial Hall is located inside the Christian College of Nursing. The monument was erected in 1914 in memory of missionary Clement Owen who, together with Priest Bae Yoo-ji, was the first missionary to come to Jeollanam-do Province. The monument was built using the 4,200 dollars collected by Owen’s relatives in the USA after Owen died as a martyr in Gwangju.A Western-style building with a total surface area of 434 square meters (including the annex building), the monument is said to have been used as chapel and assembly room. Today, the building serves as the auditorium of the Christian College of Nursing.Clement Owen came to Yangnim-dong, Gwangju in the 1900s and served as a missionary and medical volunteer with his wife, who was a nurse, before dying of exhaustion and overwork in 1909. Owen had hoped to build a memorial hospital in honor of his grandfather, but died before his plan was materialized. The plaque hanging in the hall honors both men in English and Chinese reading, “In Memory of William L. and Clement C. Owen.”


Gwangju(Nam-gu)

Missionary Wilson’s House is a two-story brick building that sits upon the eastern foothills of Yangnimsan Mountain. Known as the oldest surviving Western-style house in Gwangju, the house is an icon of modern culture and architecture in Korea. The house was built by an American missionary named Wilson in the 1920s (exact date unknown) and was the home of the Wilson family while they stayed in Korea. When the family completed their work in Korea, they sold the house for a very cheap price with the stipulation that the house continued to be used for missionary purposes. The house fell into the possession of the General Assembly of Chonnam Presbyterian Church of Korea in 1986 and now serves as the home office for the Presbyterian Church of Korea.The square-shaped house consists of a living room, a family room, a kitchen, and a bathroom (1F), several bedrooms (2F), and storage areas and a boiler room (B1). The fact that the entrance of the house faces east is said to be a result of the prevailing architectural culture of Korea at that time. A Netherland-style house built with 55-milimeter thick, gray bricks, the first and second stories are delineated on the exterior with an eye-catching band of bricks.


Gwangju(Buk-gu)

Located in Gwangju Metropolitan City, the Namdo Folk Food Museum was established to preserve and promote the folk foods of the Namdo region. The museum is housed in a building that resembles both the long, rectangular presses used to make patterned rice cakes and the Ipseokdae Rock of Mudeungsan Mountain, a symbol of Gwangju. Even the colors of the building’s walls hold special significance. The obangsaek ‘five colors’ (blue, white, red, black, and yellow) symbolize the cardinal directions, the seasons, the major organs in the body, different tastes, feelings, and philosophy.Major facilities at the museum include: a special exhibition room for invitational displays on culture and art, the permanent exhibition room on Namdo folk food, the Museum Studio with material related to the museum itself, and the Museum Shop, which sells a selection of Namdo folk food. Other facilities include the Honam Cultural Material Exhibition Room, which showcases the culture of the Honam region (literature, customs, and art), and a seminar room for art and culture-related lectures and conferences.


Gwangju(Buk-gu)

Jungoe Park is one of the nation's most famous leisure spaces. There is a folk museum, an education center, and a biennale showroom in the Biennale & Museum section of the park. Moreover, the Grand Park section has various rides and amusement facilities. The park is also famous for its beautiful autumn foliage.