Gyeongju State Museum ( Gyeongju National Museum) ( corr. 국립 경주 박물관 ? , 國立 慶州 博物館? ) Is a historical museum in Gyeongju , South Korea . The museum was originally established in 1910 as the Silla Society of Gyeongju ; in 1913, the society changed its name to the Gyeongju Protection Society , which, in turn, in 1945 was renamed the Branch of the State Museum of Korea in Gyeongju . In 1975, the museum officially opened its doors for the first time as the Gyeongju State Museum . Since the city of Gyeongju was the capital of the state of Silla, the museum exhibits, one way or another connected with the history and culture of Silla. The museum is located next to the royal tombs complex, Kerim forest, the Chhomzonde observatory, the Panvolson palace and the Anapchi pond.
Gyeongju State Museum | |
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The museum is divided into several sections in accordance with the classification of the exhibits displayed in them: the Hall of Archeology, the Hall of Art, the Hall of Anapchi and the Hall of Special Exhibitions. Also in the museum there is a section for children, a visit to which helps them understand Korea’s culture and become interested in it. Each section is a separate building with a different design from the neighboring buildings.
The museum exhibits about three thousand exhibits, among which are 16 National Treasures of Korea [1] , 3 of which are attributed to the State Museum of Korea . One of them - National treasure number 29 - "The Divine Bell of King Sondok the Great " ( cor. 성덕 대왕 신종 ? , 聖德 大王 神 鍾? ; Years of government: 702-737) [2] . This bronze bell is the largest of all existing in South Korea today. It is also called the “Pondox Bell” [3] (봉덕 사종, 奉 德 寺 鐘) or “Emille Bell” (에밀레 종), which literally means “baby’s crying”. The bell was cast during the reign of the 35th King Silla Köndok (경덕, 景德; reign: 742-765) in memory of his father, King Sondok, but the casting was completed during the reign of the grandson of King Sondok, the 36th King Sill Khon (혜공, 惠 恭; years of government: 765-780).
Bell weight - 19 tons, height - more than 3 meters, diameter - more than 2 meters. [four]
Also in the museum are several of the royal crowns of the Silla period, and most of the exhibits found during excavations in the territory of the Hwannjens temple and raised from the bottom of Anapchi are on display. Many of the finds are on display not in the covered areas of the museum, but in the open air - this is a common practice of Korean historical museums.
Gallery
Gyeongju State Museum
Divine Bell of King Sondok the Great
Buddhist Headless Statues
Petroglyphs on a piece of rock
Golden butterfly decoration
Golden bird decoration
Gold Crown
Ancient Korean pottery
Notes and Sources
- ↑ http://gyeongju.museum.go.kr/relic/index.php?ch=01 (unavailable link) - the official website of the museum (k.)
- ↑ Not to be confused with Queen Sondok (선덕, 善德): the queen was the 27th ruler of Silla, Sondok the Great (, 聖德) - the 33rd ruler of Silla.
- ↑ In Gyeongju, there was a Pondox temple (봉덕 사, 奉 德 寺), and the bell was originally hung there. Hence the name.
- ↑ Gyeongju - South Korea - Country Guide - Inna-Tour Archival copy from October 18, 2007 on Wayback Machine