Immerse Yourself In Korean History At The Hanam Museum Of History

Hanam is a city located in Gyeonggi Province is a nature oasis because it is surrounded by beautiful mountains. It's a quiet city suitable for a quick weekend getaway!

Besides beautiful natural attractions and cafes, there is also an interesting museum that showcases Hanam's history and remains.

Anyone who loves to learn about history, and enjoys ancient displays should visit the Hanam Museum of History (하남역사박물관)!

Hanam Museum of History is located in the center of Hanam. It's close to Hanam City Hall Station (하남 시청역).

It's easy to find, and the entrance is clearly marked. It's a 3-story building like the picture above.

You'll find the hours at the end of this blog, but something else to note is that if a Monday falls on a public holiday, then the next Tuesday will be closed.

Upon entering, you'll see a big open hall with a reception desk on the right. The day that we visited, the receptionist was very friendly and helpful in answering our questions. But she could only communicate in Korean!

The majority of the museum is in Korean. So if you're not confident in your Korean abilities, you can pick up a pamphlet with English descriptions.

If you visit with kids, you can pick up a photo book that has cute pictures, captions, and even games!

The museum is divided into 3 floors. The exhibits are located on the 2nd and 3rd floor. Most of its relics on display have been excavated from the Hanam area.

We were advised to visit the 3rd floor first which is composed of artifacts from the prehistoric ages (선사실), ancient period (고대실), and the Goryeo period (고려실).

Starting with the prehistoric ages (선사실), the artifacts of this section consist of ancient utensils, stones, and various pottery, most of which are still in perfect condition.

Unfortunately, all of the descriptions are in Korean so we had a hard time reading them. But seeing the ancient objects up close felt so surreal!

After walking around, you'll see the entranceway to the ancient period (고대실). This area is absolutely spectacular, you can't miss it!

Prepare to be amazed!

This section, dedicated to the ancient period (고대실), tells stories through a VR experience, and even though we didn't know much about history, we were absolutely amazed.

We were in awe, and our eyes were fixated on the screens with vibrant colors.

But the audio commentary was all in Korean, so we only wished that they had an English option as well.

Once it was over, the gate opened like a portal.

There is a display of ancient tools. They look quite similar to the tools we have today, doesn't it?

There are also games on the screens for people to play. The one above is a guessing game where we have to guess the tools according to different eras.

But since we are unfamiliar with Korean history, it wasn't our favorite. Those that have taken history classes in Korea might find this game much more appealing.

As for us, we played a simple city wall-building game.

The last section is dedicated to the Goryeo Dynasty (고려실). You've probably heard of the Goryeo period if you frequently watch historical Korean dramas!

We liked this Buddha sculpture the most because it felt very comforting!

We headed downstairs to the 2nd floor. It's divided into 2 sections. The first section is the Joseon Dynasty (조선실) which had replicas of houses during that time period.

It looks like a movie set for an old K-drama, doesn't it?

This is the last section that we explored. Doesn't it look familiar?

We think it looks like the set for the K-drama, Reply 1988 (응답하라 1988).

Especially the kitchen and the living room were set up like the houses from Reply 1988.

After looking around at all the exhibits we felt very cultured!

Everything was so interesting and we were immersed in Korean history all day. We were worried it would be hard to keep up since we didn't know much about history, but it was so much fun.

Anyone who gets a chance to visit Hanam should definitely stop by this museum!

Information

Address: 경기 하남시 덕풍동로 30 덕풍동 694
30 Deokpungdong-ro, Deokpung 3(sam)-dong, Hanam-sim Gyeonggi-do

Hours: 
Tue-Sun: 9:00-18:00
Last Entry: 17:00
Mon: Closed
Closed on January 1

Admission: Free

Website: https://www.hnart.or.kr/museum/index.do

You can find more information on the museum's website, but it is in Korean.

How To Get There

Directions: Walk out of Hanam City Hall Station (하남 시청역) Exit 2. Go straight for about 200 meters. Turn left at the intersection and walk 700 meters.

You'll see the museum on the right.

That concludes our review of the Hanam Museum of History.

If you are a major history lover, you should add this to your list!