Guri City Cultural Highlights: Exploring the Region’s Charm
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Jangja Lake Park Ecological Experience Center
The Jangja Lake Ecological Experience Center is an eco-education and experiential space located within Jangja Lake Park in Guri, Gyeonggi Province.
Opened in 2012, it offers various environmental education programs and hands-on activities. The exhibition hall showcases the lake’s flora and fauna as well as pollution recovery processes, with facilities for observing ecological trees, experiential activities, and walking trails.
• Address (location): 76-42 Jangja Lake Road, Gyomundong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do
Guri Myeongbinmyo
Myeongbinmyo, located in Guri City, Gyeonggi Province, is the tomb of Lady Myeongbin, the concubine of King Taejong, the 3rd monarch of the Joseon Dynasty. Designated as a historic site on October 25, 1991, Myeongbin was born as the daughter of Minister Ahn Jeong-gong Kim Gu-deok, with her ancestral home in Andong.
She was appointed as Myeongbin in November 1411 during the reign of Taejong and served as an inner court lady for 7 generations from Taejong to King Seongjong until her passing on June 5, 1479. The tomb, also known as Acheon-dong Dosagol Tomb, covers an area of 25,000 square meters and features stone monuments such as a main stele, a pair of civil official stones, a headstone (placed in front of the tomb), and an incense burner stone.
Guri Myeongbinmyo is currently maintained as a non-public site to preserve its original form and prevent damage. Visitors who wish to tour the site for academic research purposes can gain access after obtaining permission from the management office.
• Address (location): Acheon-dong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do
Bowon Jangtan Hot Springs
Located near Guri Station in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, Bowon Carbonated Hot Springs is a special place to visit. The hot spring water here is a carbonated stream created during the hot spring development in 1998, where alkaline carbonated water emerged.
The alkaline components neutralize acidic substances in the body, promoting skin beauty and benefiting fatigue relief, metabolism promotion, anemia, neuralgia, chronic eczema, and more. Additionally, the carbonated stream allows carbon dioxide to deeply penetrate the skin, stimulating the capillaries and improving blood circulation, distinguishing it from regular public bathhouses.
With its dedicated parking lot and Guri Traditional Market just a 3-minute walk away, visitors can also enjoy a variety of local delicacies.
• Address (location): 79, Angol-ro, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (Sutaek-dong)
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Galmae Central Park
Galmae Central Park is located in the heart of Galmae-dong, with a riverside promenade, apartment buildings, and schools nearby, making it a popular park for both children and adults to visit. As part of Guri City’s village forest creation project, the park features shady trees and play areas for everyone to enjoy, not just local residents.
At the park entrance, there is a management office, and in front of the floor fountain, there are changing rooms for summer visitors to the water play area. The free water play area is equipped with fairly large water play facilities, attracting more children visitors in the summer. Next to the water play area, there is a Fun Body Playground.
Reminiscent of a small fairy tale village, this playground offers various enjoyable activities such as a large slide, low rock walls, and a children’s zip line. Every year, Guri City hosts various seasonal festivals, so it’s a good idea to check out the Guri City website in advance to plan your visit.
• Address (location): Galmadong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi Province
Han River Park (Cosmos Park)
Guri Citizens’ Han River Park is a civic park located on the Han River embankment in Topyeong-dong, Guri City, Gyeonggi Province. Originally, this place was a small village called Tomak Naru where about ten households lived until the 1980s. However, frequent floods and relocation of residents turned it into a grazing land for cattle, but as the farms raising cattle disappeared, the area was transformed into a public works project during the IMF era, planting flowers such as rape blossoms and cosmos, and building a baseball field and soccer field.
After construction from 2005 to 2007, the park took on its current form as the Han River Citizens’ Park. Han River Citizens’ Park is equipped with sports facilities such as a baseball field and an inline skating rink, as well as a snack bar. In addition, a large grassy square was created, perfect for hosting various large events. Especially, by planting rape blossoms and cosmos on the vast land, the park becomes a vast flower field in spring and autumn.
As a result, the Guri Rape Blossom Festival in May and the Cosmos Festival in the fall are held in this park, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year. Both festivals have established themselves as popular local events that many people visit.
• Address (location): Toepyung-dong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do
Guri Station Park
Guri Station Park is an urban oasis located in Inchang-dong, Guri City, Gyeonggi Province. Situated right in front of Guri Station on the Jungang Line, it is easily accessible. Built in 2003 to provide green space for the citizens, the park features an outdoor stage, fountains, benches, and playground facilities for children. Highly regarded as a resting spot within the city, it also contributes to the leisure and emotional well-being of local residents. The outdoor stage at Guri Station Park is a popular venue for various cultural performances and events, attracting many citizens.
• Address (location): 675-1 Inchang-dong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do
Wangsukcheon Dunchi Park
Wangsukcheon originates from the Suwon Mountain Valley in Sinpal-ri, Naechon-myeon, Pocheon City, Gyeonggi Province. Flowing southwest, it passes through Namyangju City in Gyeonggi Province before reaching the Han River in Guri City. Stretching 37km in length, it is the first tributary to flow into the Han River. It earned the name Wangsukcheon because it is said that King Seonggye stayed here for 8 days during his reign. Recorded as Wangsangcheon on the Daedong Yeojido compiled in 1861, Wangsan is the king’s tomb.
There is a belief that Wangsukcheon was named as the river where kings sleep because it is located near the tomb of King Taejo Sejong’s Geonwonreung on the eastern slope of Geomansan, where King Sejo’s Gwangneung is located upstream. A park has been established at the Wangsukcheon area, offering amenities such as walking trails, bike paths, and water play areas. In winter, an ice sledding rink is operated, and there are also fishing spots nearby. It is a convenient citizen facility where anyone can enjoy light exercise, walking, relaxation, and healing
• Address (location): 507 Wangsukcheon-ro, Inchang-dong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do
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Galmaegureungsan Forest Path
The Galmae Gureungsan Trail is a barrier-free walking path located in Galmae-dong, Guri City, Gyeonggi Province. With a total length of 1.4km, this trail features wooden decks and smooth paths, making it safe for anyone to enjoy a leisurely stroll. Surrounded by nature, it offers shelters and convenient facilities, creating a wonderful place for relaxation and healing.
• Address (location): 106 Sanmaru-ro, Galmae-dong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do
Guri Cultural Foundation
Guri Cultural Foundation is a cultural arts institution located in Guri City, Gyeonggi Province. Serving as the heart of cultural activities, the Guri Art Hall offers a variety of performances, exhibitions, and cultural arts programs to support the development of local culture and enhance the cultural experiences of residents.
• Address (location): 4th Floor, 453 Achasan-ro, Gyomun-dong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do
Naman Gap Teacher’s Shrine
Naman Gap Teacher’s Stele in Guri is a monument located in Guri, inscribed with the achievements of Naman Gap, a scholar during the Joseon Injo era. It was erected in 1658 (9th year of King Hyojong’s reign). The stele is designed with a square base stone supporting the main body of the stele, topped with a roof stone in the shape of an eight-sided umbrella.
The inscription was written by Kim Sangheon, calligraphy by Song Jungil, and the name inscription on the top of the stele was written by his grandson-in-law, Kim Soohang. The inscription records details about his family, youth, official life, descendants, and more. Naman Gap was born in 1592 (25th year of King Seonjo’s reign) during the Imjin War, and passed away at the age of 50 in 1642 (20th year of King Injo’s reign). He passed the civil service examination at the age of 21 in 1613 (5th year of King Gwanghae’s reign) and entered Sungkyunkwan (a royal academy).
However, he returned to his hometown, Yeongcheon, after the destruction of the palace of Queen Inmok at Seogung (now Deoksugung Palace) in 1618. He spent his time studying there until he became a royal tutor when King Injo ascended the throne in 1623. During the Imjin War in 1636, he managed the local military provisions at Namhansanseong Fortress, supplied troops, and was wrongly accused after the war. He was exiled to Namhae, but later released and passed away in Yeongju in 1639.
• Address (location): 163 Sanono-dong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Gwanggaeto the Great’s Tomb and Statue
The National Ancestor Worship Monument of King Tae Wang is a memorial erected in September of the 3rd year of King Jangsu’s reign (414 AD) at the ancestral home in Guknaeseong, where King Tae Wang was buried along with his tomb. Standing at a height of 6.39m and a width ranging from 1.35 to 2m, it is the largest four-sided stone monument in the East.
The Tae Wang Monument, carved on the Ansan rock of the Bangju type with some artificial enhancements, features 1,775 characters in 44 lines in the distinctive elegant Goguryeo style script based on the regular script, and is considered the top stone monument that sheds light on the Goguryeo history of that era. A bronze statue depicting the face of King Gwanggaeto the Great, who greatly enhanced Goguryeo’s power in East Asia, has been erected at Gyomun-dong Scenic Park in Guri City.
This statue, the first of its kind in Korea, stands at a height of 4.05m and a width of 2.7m, and was unveiled on March 2, 2002. The statue portrays a man in his thirties with a crown on his head and holding an egg with a three-legged crow symbolizing the sun in his right hand.
• Address (location): 34 Jangja-daero, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do