Namwon Mongsimai Traditional House

About this place

Namwon Mongsimai is a traditional house in Hogok-ri, Suji-myeon, Namwon-si, said to have been built by Bamboo Mountain Park Dong-sik (1753-1830), the seventh-generation ancestor of former resident Park In-gi. It is a well-preserved example of the typical upper-class household style of the late Joseon period in Jeollabuk-do. A mountain backs the house and low rolling hills stand before it. Several buildings are arranged on the steep mountain slope, at different heights from front to back. Through the main gate lies a wide courtyard, with the outer quarters and middle gate built on high stone platforms above it. The inner quarters likewise rest on a high foundation, with the space beneath used as a stable. The floor plan's unique feature is a wooden floor and room on the western side of the inner quarters for the convenience of the housewife, with a storage room (dojang) on the east side of the main hall and the cross-room positioned below to allow good lighting. The outer quarters have as many as seven rooms—more than the wooden floor area—indicating an effort to maximize actual living space. The outer quarters are grandly built with all the front pillars as octagonal columns, an extremely rare example, and the foundation stones were carefully fashioned to match. A separate servant quarters' wooden floor to the east of the gate room is unprecedented in upper-class houses, showing special consideration for people of lower status. Despite the buildings rising high, they harmonize with the surrounding landscape, displaying outstanding aesthetic beauty and tranquility.