Honoring Peace at a Former Firing Range: Mario Botta’s Maehyangri Peace Memorial
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Swiss architect Mario Botta, known for his geometric forms and dramatic use of brick and light, has another Korean work: the Maehyangri Peace Memorial in Hwaseong. Opened in April, the memorial and its observatory sit in Maehyangri, once a U.S. firing and bombing training ground that troubled residents for 55 years until the range closed in 2005. Botta’s red-brick, semi-circular building with an M-shaped colonnade embraces the former range—symbolizing connection with the past. The ground floor houses a children’s activity room; the second floor holds permanent and special exhibitions documenting the range’s history and closure. A vertical ring-shaped monument in front serves as a memorial and observatory, its continuous circles representing ongoing remembrance and a wish for sustained peace. Six original structures from the firing range (guard post, firing control room, officer barracks, etc.) remain in the park and are registered as Gyeonggi-do’s Outstanding Architectural Asset No.1. From the 42m-high observatory visitors can view the former range buildings, Nongsom island (농섬), and the Yellow Sea—offering a reflective end to an architectural visit that blends memory, healing, and landscape.
