Jindo Island Namdong-ri Twin Ungyo and Danungyo Bridge

These are two rainbow-shaped stone bridges spanning the Sewuncheon Stream, which flows outside the south gate of Namdo Fortress on Jindo Island. Namdo Fortress (Historic Site No. 127) was built to defend the coastal region during the reign of King Wonjong of Goryeo (r. 1259–1274), when the Sambyeolcho, an elite Goryeo military force, were fighting the Mongols on Jindo Island; it is said to be the place from which the Sambyeolcho departed when they moved to Jeju Island. Danungyo Bridge appears rainbow-shaped when viewed from the side, and its deck has been built up with earth and planted with grass. It is small in scale, measuring 4.5 m in length, 3.6 m in width, and 2.7 m in height from the streambed to the centre of the bridge. It was built of unhewn stone common to the area: slab-shaped gneiss was used for the upper part of the arch, and somewhat larger river stones than those above were used for the lower part. Particularly interesting is the arch itself, formed from unhewn, flat stones set vertically and stacked irregularly into an arch shape. Ssangungyo Bridge, about 40 m from Danungyo, differs from it in that the stream is wider at that point, so it was built with a pair of arches rather than a single one. Like Danungyo, it was built of unhewn gneiss and river stones. Danungyo is thought to have been built sometime after 1870, though no precise record survives, while local residents say Ssangungyo was built around 1930. Although small in scale, the two bridges have an understated elegance, and though their unhewn natural stone gives them a rustic look, this lends them, if anything, a homely, common charm.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jindo, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료