Jincheon Nongdari Bridge

From a distance it looks like a giant centipede crossing the stream. Jincheon Nongdari is a stone bridge whose 28 piers of small reddish stones wind across the Segeumcheon. What makes it special is that the stones were stacked without lime or clay, yet the bridge is said to have survived centuries of monsoon floods.

History: General Im's bridge

Two local gazetteers, the Sangsanji of 1932 and the Joseon Hwanyeo Seungnam, record that the bridge was built by a General Im in the early Goryeo period. They add that red stones were arranged according to yin and yang, with 28 spans matching the 28 lunar mansions of the sky. If true, the bridge would be close to a thousand years old, but its exact date rests on these written traditions rather than firm evidence.

It was designated a North Chungcheong Tangible Cultural Heritage on 21 December 1976. Over time some piers were lost and only 24 spans remained, so a restoration project to bring back all 28 began in 2008. The work was completed in 2018, and all 28 spans are in place again; the bridge was also named one of Korea's 100 most beautiful roads. A sudden downpour on 16 July 2017, however, washed away part of it again, and it had to be repaired.

How it works

• Size: about 93.6 m long and 3.6 m wide, with piers around 1.2 m high and channels of roughly 80 cm between them.
• Stonework: small stones overlap like fish scales. Each pier is wide at the base and narrows towards the top, so the stones lock together and let fast water pass.
• Deck: each pier carries either one slab about 170 cm long, 80 cm wide and 20 cm thick, or two slabs about 130 cm by 60 cm. With no binding material between the stones, the structure holds together purely through weight and interlocking.
• Then and now: it is said that adults could once walk upright beneath it, but the streambed has risen so much that this is hard to picture today.

Good to know

Korean viewers of a certain age know the bridge from TV dramas such as "Sandglass", which were filmed here, and a Nongdari festival is held every year.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: open at all times and free. Next to the bridge are the Nongdari exhibition hall and the Nongamjeong and Cheonnyeonjeong pavilions.
• Crossing: the slabs are narrow and there is no railing. After heavy rain the bridge may be submerged or closed, so don't try to cross when the water is high.
• Walking: beyond the bridge, a path over a low ridge leads to a lakeside boardwalk along Chopyeong Reservoir. Allow 30–40 minutes for the bridge alone, or 1.5–2 hours including the boardwalk.

Nearby

• Jincheon Bell Museum: a museum devoted to Korean temple bells, about 20 minutes by car.
• Birthplace of Kim Yu-sin: the traditional birthplace of the Silla general, near Jincheon town.