Jungangtap Pagoda

The seven-storey pagoda at Tappyeong-ri stands a little under fifteen metres, which makes it the tallest stone pagoda left from the Unified Silla period, and it was raised in the early ninth century at what the court took to be the geographic centre of the kingdom - the name Jungangtap means central pagoda, and the village name Tappyeong means pagoda plain. It sits on a double platform, unusually tall and narrow in proportion for its date, on flat ground beside the Namhan River with no temple around it; whatever stood here is gone, and a relic reliquary and bronze mirrors were recovered from the body during twentieth-century repair. The setting today is a riverside park with lawns, sculpture and a small municipal museum, free and open, used by families. The pagoda alone takes fifteen minutes; the park makes it an hour or two if the weather is good.

What to look for

• The seven-storey pagoda - the tallest surviving from Silla.
• The double platform - the tall narrow proportions of its date.
• The riverside park - lawns and sculpture around it.
• The small museum - local finds and context.

When to go

April to June and September to November. It is open ground with little shade, so summer afternoons are unpleasant. Evening light on the stone is good.

Good to know

There is no temple, no compound and almost no interpretation at the pagoda itself - one monument on a lawn. The park around it is pleasant but ordinary.

Nearby

Chungju lake and the Tangeumdae park are close; Danyang is upriver.