Andong Folk Village

When Andong Dam was built, houses, a government guesthouse and an ice store that would have disappeared under the reservoir were moved to a hillside above the Nakdong River and rebuilt. That hillside is Andong Folk Village. From thatched farmhouses to a Joseon-era guesthouse that once held the king's symbolic tablet and a stone ice house built in 1737, it gathers the memory of the drowned villages in one walk. It connects with the outdoor area of the Andong Folk Museum, and Woryeonggyo Bridge is a few minutes' walk away.

Buildings saved from the reservoir

In the 1970s, construction of Andong Dam meant that several villages on the upper Nakdong would be flooded, so the heritage buildings and homes there were dismantled and rebuilt on the hill in today's Seonggok-dong. The Seonseonghyeon Guesthouse and the Dotomari house were moved here in 1976. When the Andong Folk Museum opened next door in June 1992, this folk landscape, with five listed heritage items and 16 old houses from the flooded area, became the museum's open-air section.

What to see

• Andong Seokbinggo (Treasure): a stone ice house built in 1737. Its ice was used to keep sweetfish (eun-eo), caught in large numbers in the Nakdong, fresh on their way to the king. The entrance is unusually placed on the north side; inside, the floor slopes so meltwater drains along a central channel. The ceiling rests on four stone arches, and ventilation holes leading outside kept the temperature down. It originally stood right by the river and was moved uphill to escape the reservoir.
• Seonseonghyeon Guesthouse: a gaeksa, the official guesthouse that every county once kept, said to have been rebuilt in 1712. The building is 11 bays long, and the roof of the central five-bay hall rises a step above the wings. In the central hall a tablet representing the king was kept, and officials bowed towards the royal palace on the first and fifteenth day of each month; the side rooms housed envoys and guests.
• Thatched Dotomari house from Uichon-dong: a farmhouse from Uichon-dong. In most farmhouses the stable, kitchen and rooms stand in a single row, but here one room is attached to the side of the kitchen. The plan resembles the warp beam of a loom, called a dotomari, hence the name.
• Magpie-hole houses: homes with holes cut at both ends of the roof ridge to let smoke out and light in, a house type found in the mountains of northern Gyeongsangbuk-do around Andong.

Also nearby

• Andong Folk Museum: displays follow the life of an Andong person from birth to ancestral rites, with everyday objects from the region.
• Woryeonggyo Bridge: a wooden footbridge opened in 2003, 387 m long and 3.6 m wide, known as the longest of its kind in Korea. An octagonal pavilion, Woryeongjeong, stands in the middle, and after dark the lights reflect on the river.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: the ice house is open all year round and free. Check the opening hours and closing days of the indoor folk museum before you go.
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the folk village hill, 2–3 hours with the museum and Woryeonggyo.
• Paths: the buildings are spread over a slope, with plenty of earth paths up and down. They get slippery after rain, so wear comfortable shoes.
• Getting there: the site lies on the south bank of the Nakdong, on the road from central Andong towards Andong Dam. The museum car park is the easiest place to leave a car. City bus 3 is reported to pass the museum, but routes change, so check before you travel.
• Best time: walk the village in the late afternoon and head down to Woryeonggyo at dusk to see the area by day and by night. In autumn the riverbanks turn red and gold.