Mananggyo Bridge

In Seoksu-dong, Anyang, a bridge of seven stone arches spans the Sammakcheon stream. Mananggyo Bridge was built in 1795 so that King Jeongjo could travel to his father's tomb, and it is regarded as a classic late Joseon arched stone bridge. The district of Manan-gu in Anyang takes its name from it.

History: a bridge built for a royal procession

In 1789 King Jeongjo moved the tomb of his father, Crown Prince Sado, to Hwasan in Suwon, naming it Hyeollyungwon, and from then on he visited every year. The old road from Seoul to Suwon crossed the Han at Noryangjin and ran through Gwacheon over the Namtaeryeong pass; it was steep and needed many bridges. It is also said that Jeongjo disliked the route because it passed a grave linked to one of the men who had urged King Yeongjo to put Prince Sado to death. In 1794, therefore, a new road, the Siheung road, was opened through Geumcheon and Anyang.

Until then the custom was to lay wooden bridges for a royal procession and pull them down as soon as it had passed. That was done in the first year of the new road too, but the constant building and dismantling was costly, and ordinary people had no bridge the rest of the year. So in 1795 the governor of Gyeonggi, Seo Yu-bang, was ordered to build a permanent stone bridge and finished it in about three months, naming it Mananggyo (萬安橋).

The bridge originally stood about 200 m further south, at the start of Manan-ro. It was moved and rebuilt on its present site in 1980 when the national road was widened, and it has been listed as Gyeonggi-do Tangible Cultural Heritage since 1973.

What to see

• Seven arches: the records give a length of 15 jang (about 30 m), a width of 4 jang (about 8 m), a height of 3 jang (about 6 m) and five arches, yet the bridge has seven, so the design was apparently changed during construction. The semicircular arches are built of long, finely dressed granite blocks.
• Built to resist floods: flat stones were laid on the stream bed so that strong currents would not undermine the bridge, and the piers were given diamond-shaped ends to cut the force of the water. Go down to the streamside path to see the structure beneath the arches.
• The deck: you can still walk across on the long paving stones that once carried people and goods.
• Mananggyo Stele: on the south side, a stele erected when the bridge was built stands in a small pavilion. Its back records the bridge's history, composed by Seo Yu-bang and written by the noted calligrapher Jo Yun-hyeong.

Tripto tips

• Access: a roadside monument you can see at any time, free of charge.
• Time needed: 20–30 minutes to cross the bridge and look up at the arches from the stream bank.
• Getting there: about 500 m from Gwanak Station on Seoul Subway Line 1, roughly a 10-minute walk.
• Best time: summer, when the stream banks are green, and autumn colour make the best photos. After heavy rain the stream rises and the path can be slippery.
• Combine with: Anyang Museum, built on the site of the Goryeo temple Anyangsa, is about 700 m to the north-east, with Anyang Art Park beyond. You could also follow Jeongjo's procession route on to Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon for a full day.