Gyeongju National Museum

If you want to understand Silla before visiting Gyeongju's tombs and temple sites, start here. Gyeongju National Museum holds the largest collection of artefacts from Silla (57 BC–AD 935), a kingdom that lasted almost a thousand years with Gyeongju as its capital. The Bell of King Seongdeok, hanging in a pavilion in the grounds, is reason enough to make the trip.

History: a museum that began in a government office

The museum's roots go back to 1913, when a local society opened an exhibition room in the old Joseon-era Gyeongju government office. It became a branch of the colonial Government-General Museum in 1926 and, just after liberation in 1945, a branch of the National Museum. In 1975 it moved to its present site and became the Gyeongju National Museum. Moving the bell, which weighs more than 18 tonnes, was a major event in Gyeongju, with many residents taking part.

The main hall, today the Silla History Gallery, was designed by architect Lee Hee-tae; its evenly spaced columns are thought to echo Gyeonghoeru Pavilion at Gyeongbokgung. In 1982 a separate hall designed by Kim Swoo-geun was added for finds from Wolji Pond (Anapji).

What to see

• Bell of King Seongdeok (National Treasure): The largest bell surviving in Korea, 3.66 m high with a mouth 2.27 m across; a precise measurement in 1997 put its weight at 18.9 tonnes. King Gyeongdeok began it to honour his father, King Seongdeok, and his son King Hyegong completed it in 771. A tragic legend that a child was cast into the metal gave it the nickname "Emille Bell". Look up at the sound tube on top: it is a feature found only on Korean bells.
• Silla History Gallery: Traces Silla from its founding to its fall. The gold crowns, gold ornaments and horse trappings from royal tombs are the highlights.
• Silla Art Gallery: Buddhist sculpture, statues and fine crafts.
• Wolji Gallery: Everyday objects excavated at Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, offering a glimpse of life at the Silla court.
• Outdoor exhibits: Stone pagodas, lanterns and Buddhas are set around the gardens. Many carvings, such as a pagoda base with the Eight Guardians, reward a close look.

What to look for on the bell

The bell is also called the Bongdeoksa Bell, after the temple where it first hung. The hanging loop is carved as a dragon's head, and broad bands of floral patterns run around the top and bottom of the body. Below the shoulder, four square frames each hold nine lotus buds, and beneath them two pairs of flying celestials face each other. The striking point is shaped like a lotus, and an inscription on the front and back records how the bell was made. The rim, which curves like the edge of a flower, is unique to this bell. It was cast at the height of Unified Silla art, so take your time over the patterns and carvings.

More to explore

• Children's Museum: Opened in 2005, it lets children learn about Silla through hands-on activities.
• Library of the Silla Millennium: A reading space inside the museum with books on Silla and Gyeongju.
• The museum holds far more objects than it can show, and runs separate storage for them.

Tripto tips

• Hours and fees: The permanent exhibition is free (special exhibitions are separate and may require a free ticket). Open 10:00–18:00 on weekdays and 10:00–19:00 at weekends and on public holidays, and until 21:00 on the last Wednesday of each month and on Saturdays from March to December. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
• Closed: 1 January, the days of Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok, and the first Monday of March and November.
• How long: Allow 1.5–3 hours even for the main galleries.
• Route: The museum sits in the middle of Gyeongju's historic district, next to Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, Wolseong and Cheomseongdae. A good plan is the museum by day, then a walk to Donggung and Wolji for the evening illuminations. The address is 186 Iljeong-ro, Gyeongju, and there is a car park.