Manjukjae and Haeudang Old Houses to Become National Folk Cultural Heritage

Buildings Representing Yeongju Museom Village... Original Forms Well Preserved

Manjukjae Gotaek and Haewudang Gotaek, representing Museom Village in Yeongju, will be systematically managed.

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 7th that the two traditional houses, along with various everyday artifacts, will be collectively designated as National Folk Cultural Heritage under the name "Yeongju Manjukjae·Haewudang Gotaek and Artifacts." Opinions from various sectors will be gathered for a month, and the designation will be finalized after review by the Cultural Heritage Committee.

Yeongju Museom Village is a clan village of Bannam Park and Seonseong Kim families. Manjukjae Gotaek is a traditional house built in the 7th year of King Hyeonjong’s reign (1666) by Park Su (1641?1729) of the Bannam Park clan, who settled in Museom Village. The original form has been well preserved for 360 years, spanning from the founding ancestor (the first settler of the village) to the 13th generation.

The floor plan is shaped like a 'ㅁ' (square). The main quarters, sarangchae (men’s quarters), and auxiliary buildings are connected as one. This is a representation of Confucian patriarchal order typical of upper-class houses in the mid to late Joseon period, commonly found in courtyard houses of northern Gyeongbuk region. Behind the house is Seomgye Chodang, used as a place for education and poetry gatherings. Built on a high place, it offers a panoramic view of Naeseongcheon Stream and the entire Museom Village.

The house contains valuable folk cultural heritage such as the Manjukjae nameplate and original calligraphy, munbangsau (paper, brush, ink, inkstone), a feed trough, and log stairs. Representative artifacts include historical marriage documents, anti-Japanese protest writings, gyubang gasa collections (women’s literary works), household registers, and seung-gyeongdo (a traditional board game). Marriage documents are traditional wedding papers sent from the groom’s family to the bride’s family. Household registers are documents submitted by the head of the household describing the status of their home to authorities. Seung-gyeongdo is a game where a board with official ranks is drawn, and players throw dice to see who reaches the top first.

Haewudang Gotaek was built in the early 1800s by Kim Yeonggak (1809?1876), grandson of Kim Dae (1732?1809), the founding ancestor of the Seonseong Kim clan. After being renovated by his son Haewudang Kim Nakpung (1825?1900), the house has been well preserved without dismantling or repairs. Kim Nakpung was known as a friend of Heungseon Daewongun and served as Uigeumbu Dosan (a high-ranking official) during King Gojong’s reign.

This traditional house also has a 'ㅁ' (square) shape. Its value lies in the ability to infer life cycles and daily life by moving from the main room where one is born to the woodworking room, small sarang, large sarang, and the mourning room. It also stands out for wisely addressing the environmental challenges of frequent flooding in Museom Village. A separate jang-gobang (storage room for earthenware jars) was provided, and the seongju danji (a shrine for the household guardian deity Seongju) was placed in a high attic rather than in the kitchen or main hall. Many high attics were built and used as storage spaces.