Woljeonggyo Bridge

There was a bridge here in the eighth century, on the road between the Silla palace quarter and the hills to the south, and its stone abutments were still in the riverbed when archaeologists worked the site. What stands now is a full reconstruction finished in 2018: a covered wooden bridge with a tiled roof, painted eaves and two-storey gate pavilions at each end, put together with joinery rather than nails. Purists argue about how much of the detail is informed guesswork, and they have a point. Practically, it is a good place to stand in the last of the light, when the lamps come on and the whole structure doubles in the still water.

History

The Samguk sagi records the bridge as completed in 760, and it was lost in the Joseon period; excavations from 1984 to 1986 showed it had been a wooden bridge about 60.57 m long with towers at each end. Its reconstruction ran from 2008 to 2013, the gatehouses followed from 2016, and it opened in April 2018 (Wikipedia, Woljeonggyo).

Highlights

• The covered span - a roofed wooden bridge with painted beams and no nails.
• The gate pavilions - the two-storey structures anchoring each end.
• The reflection - the lit bridge doubled in the river after dark.
• The old abutments - the excavated Silla stonework the reconstruction sits on.

When to go

Come in the last hour of daylight and stay for the lighting, which is when the bridge earns the walk; in flat midday sun it is much less interesting. Spring and autumn evenings are comfortable. The riverbank fills with tripods at sunset in peak season, so arrive early if you want a spot on the near bank.

Things to know

It is new work and it looks new: bright paint, fresh timber, machine-clean joints. Anyone expecting an ancient structure will be let down. The visit takes twenty minutes unless you wait for the lights to come on. The bank is crowded at sunset, the reflection only works when the water is still, and there is little on the far side.

Nearby

Gyeongju's tumuli and Wolji pond are within a walk; Bulguksa lies east of town.

Key facts