[One Day Walk] Feeling the Breath of Ancestors... Walking the Old Trails of Namhansanseong

Late Joseon Dynasty Teenagers
Some Routes to Bonghwa-ro... Connecting Seoul and Provinces

The Namhansanseong Old Trail is part of the Bonghwaro, one of the ten major routes in the late Joseon Dynasty. It is said to have been one of the main routes connecting Seoul and the provinces. The Gyeonggi-do Namhansanseong World Heritage Center explained that the Namhansanseong Old Trail was created by linking a section of the Bonghwaro route with various historical and cultural resources in the surrounding area.

The Namhansanseong Old Trail was the path that Joseon kings took when visiting Yeongneung in Yeoju. Peddlers carrying bundles also walked this trail while wandering nearby markets. Provincial scholars heading to Seoul to take the civil service examination also passed through here. The Namhansanseong Old Trail is said to hold many stories from the past.

The Namhansanseong Old Trail consists of four distinctive paths corresponding to the east, west, south, and north gates. Each includes one of the four gates of Namhansanseong and is called Dongmun-gil (East Gate Road), Seomun-gil (West Gate Road), Nammun-gil (South Gate Road), and Bukmun-gil (North Gate Road). Here is an overview of the four paths.

First, Dongmun-gil is about 9.5 km long and starts at the Namhansanseong East Gate. It is a circular route passing through the mountain fortress rotary and the North, West, and South gates. Along this path, you can encounter various cultural heritage sites within Namhansanseong, such as Jisudang and Yeonmugwan.

Seomun-gil is about 2.1 km long, starting from Geoyeo-dong in Songpa-gu and leading to the West Gate. At the entrance of Gamidong, there is a food alley. As you ascend to the West Gate, you can experience the diverse ecosystems of Namhansanseong.

Nammun-gil is approximately 6.5 km long, beginning at Wirye Seongbok Church in the Wirye New Town. It leads to Jihwamun, the South Gate of Namhansanseong. At the entrance, you can see a geumseokmun (inscribed stone monument) carved into a rock.

Bukmun-gil is about 5.8 km long, starting from Gwangju Hyanggyo in Hanam City and going to the Namhansanseong North Gate (Jeonseungmun). There are various cultural heritage sites such as Sangsachang-dong and Yeonjama. Yeonjama is a traditional agricultural tool consisting of a stone connected to a mill frame, which horses or oxen would turn to hull grains or grind wheat.