Stone Bridge at Gomakcheon Stream, Hampyeong

This stone bridge spans the Gomakcheon, a stream flowing along the boundary between Hampyeong County and Naju City. According to legend, it was built in 1273, the fourteenth year of King Wonjong of Goryeo, by the eminent monk Gomak of Beopcheonsa Temple in Muan, using magical powers. It is a plank bridge 20 m long, 3.5 m wide and 2.5 m high, with a deck of "well-floor" (umulmaru) style planking laid across five piers; to the east a stone-paved road about 7-8 m long connects to it, followed by a modern concrete bridge built to divide the current. Although it is a plank bridge, the Stone Bridge at Gomakcheon Stream, Hampyeong is notable for adopting the bracket-joinery technique otherwise used in wooden construction. The bridge deck retains the umulmaru plank-floor form, clearly showing its connection to the wooden architecture of the period. In particular, the westernmost span was laid with plain plank flooring rather than umulmaru during a repair, giving the deck a variety of forms. For its foundation, green-wood piles were driven densely into the muddy riverbed across the entire span, and large rectangular cut stones were precisely laid on top so that they would not be swept away by strong currents - a highly robust foundation structure that has withstood floods to this day. To reinforce the ground beneath the water, wooden piles were driven closely together as supports, and rubble was spread to a set thickness around them, a technique that prevented the riverbed from being scoured away by fast currents. Presumed to have been built between 1390 and 1495, the Stone Bridge at Gomakcheon Stream, Hampyeong is Korea's oldest surviving plank bridge still standing in its original form at its original location; it employs a rare construction technique and is a valuable resource for its importance in the history of bridge building.

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Where it is

Region

Hampyeong, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Treasure · 보물