Dolmen Sites
Dolmen Sites in Ganghwa, tombs built during the bronze age
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Planning the visit
Dolmen Sites is stop 6 of 9 on the Royalty Route.
The stamp is not at the site itself but at the Information Desk (1F) at Ganghwa History Museum, Dolmen Information Center, so check the opening hours of that building rather than the site.
The two closest stamp points are Jeondeungsa Temple, 16 km away, and Jangneung Royal Tomb at 31 km. All three fit into one day.
Details
- Address
- 317, Bugeun-ri, Hajeom-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon
- Stamp zone
- Information Desk (1F) at Ganghwa History Museum, Dolmen Information Center
- Phone
- 032-933-3624
- Coordinates
- 37.77231, 126.43653
What the campaign says about it
A dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more vertical megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone. Also called a Jiseokmyo, dolmens were often used for burials during the bronze age. Although they are found all over the world, a large contingent of dolmens can be found across East Asia. In particular, the Korean Peninsula alone has more than 40,000 dolmens, which accounts for about half of the world's dolmens. Among the numerous dolmens in Korea, the dolmen sites in Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa are UNESCO World Heritage Sites known for the sheer concentration of dolmens, the variety of styles, and the condition in which the dolmens have been preserved. Ganghwado Island has more than 70 dolmens. One of them is the Jiseokmyo site at Bugeun-ri. Dolmens are largely divided into “table-type” dolmens and simple dolmens according to their shape. When building a table-type dolmen, stone megaliths are placed on the ground to make a stone chamber, and then a capstone is placed on top. For a simple dolmen type, stone megaliths are placed underground to make a stone chamber, a small cover stone is placed on the ground, and then a capstone is placed on top. Table-type dolmens are mostly found in the north of the Korean Peninsula, while simple dolmens are mostly found in the south. This is why dolmens are often divided into northern and southern types. The height of the Jiseokmyo in Bugeun-ri reaches 2.6m at its tallest point, and its capstone is 6.5m-long, which makes it the largest among all table-type dolmens in Korea. The capstone, which is placed on two megaliths, weighs a whopping 50 tons. The Jiseokmyo in Bugeun-ri, which has a majestic yet sophisticated design, is considered a valuable heritage in that it provides a glimpse into the prehistoric culture, technology, social structure, and spiritual world of ancient Koreans.
Quoted from the Visit Korean Heritage Campaign.
Getting there
Get off at Songjeoing Station on subway line no. 5 → Take bus no. 3000 at the Songjeong station bus stop → Get off at the Ganghwa Terminal bus stop, then transfer to bus no. 32 (to Ganghwa) → Get off at Hajeom Industrial Complex bus stop → Walk for 3 minutes
Photographs
Photographs supplied by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.