Yuksongjeong Hongyo Stone Arch Bridge

Between Haesang-ri and Tabhyeon-ri in Ganseong-eup, Goseong County, a single-arch stone bridge spans a small stream. This is the Yuksongjeong Hongyo, a Joseon-era bridge listed as a Treasure. At just 10.6 m long it is small, but its foundations set directly on natural bedrock and its clean arch show the craft of Joseon stone bridges up close.

When was it built

The exact date is unknown. Records say it collapsed together with the Neungpagyo Bridge at nearby Geonbongsa Temple in the great flood of 1745, so it is thought to date from about the same time as Neungpagyo (1704). Yet the 1748 gazetteer of Ganseong County notes that no one knew when the Yuksongjeong bridge was built, so it may be even older. It is said to have been rebuilt around 1746, after the flood, and was listed as a Treasure together with Neungpagyo in 2002.

What to see

• Foundations that use the landscape: the bridge stands where the stream is about 12.3 m wide. On the east side a 1.7 m high rock outcrop serves as the base, topped by a single course of long stones. On the west, three courses were laid before the arch begins; the second is 70 cm and the third 60 cm high, which gives an idea of the size of the blocks.
• A 21-course arch: the arch is built of 21 courses of long dressed stones, with a span of 7.2 m and a width of 2.9 m. Most courses are two stones of a little over 1.3 m joined end to end; the longest block reaches 2.4 m.
• Walls of river cobbles: between the arch and the wing walls, the builders used rough stream cobbles instead of dressed blocks, large ones at the bottom and smaller ones higher up. The neat arch and rough cobble walls make a striking contrast.

Its partner: Neungpagyo at Geonbongsa

Both are single-span arch bridges built to suit the terrain, and they were listed as Treasures together. Neungpagyo, which links the main hall and the Geungnakjeon areas of Geonbongsa Temple, is larger: 14.3 m long, 3 m wide and 5.4 m high at the centre. A stele of 1708 in the temple records that it was first built in 1704–1707, making it one of the few arch bridges whose date and builders are known. It fell in the 1745 flood and was rebuilt in 1749; when it collapsed again in 1880, its stones were reused for the main hall's stone steps and the Sanyeongnu pavilion. Seeing the two bridges that survived the same flood side by side shows the difference between a temple bridge and a village road bridge.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: 15–30 minutes. Go down to the stream bank to see the arch from the side. That is also where the contrast between the cobble walls and the dressed arch shows best.
• Admission: an open-air site, free. There are almost no facilities nearby.
• Getting there: it lies on a country road about 4 km from central Ganseong, so a car is easiest.
• Combine with: Geonbongsa Temple, about 2.6 km away in a straight line, has the companion Neungpagyo Bridge; with the temple, plan on 1–2 hours.