Alex on the Loose: The National Museum of Seoul

Seoul National Museum

I am currently living out the last few days of my winter vacation. Trying to make the most of it, I spent part of the day wandering around the National Museum of Seoul on Friday. I suppose because it's school holidays I expected it to be overrun with kids, but luckily it was so peaceful. I arrived early enough that museum was next to empty. The museum is gigantic and I felt like I had the run of the place. Just walking up to the building from the street you can easily grasp its grandeur.
The collection of pieces itself inside the building, was not the most attractive feature, it was more the building itself and the grounds. From the outside, there is a beautiful juxtaposition between old and new. The modern building of the museum is set behind a small traditional Korean building, overlooking a little pond. To add to the view, beyond the museum, framed by its grand entranceway, is Namsan Tower, perched up on its mountain. It was a beautiful view.

Inside the stark building were 3 floors of room after room, scarcely outfitted in glass casings and the permanent collection. The main exhibits were Ancient & Medieval History, Calligraphy & Painting, Asian Art, and Sculpture & Craft. In my opinion, the best part of the museum, was the actual building itself. The lines running up and down, massive geometric configurations everywhere, I would imagine it's an architects dream. Also tucked away were many different cafes and sitting areas, one more appealing than the next.

This is the website for the museum. I would recommend it just for a few hours of slow meandering and absorbing your surroundings. I didn't see the Special Collection, just the Permanent one, and it was free to get in. Can't really go wrong with that.

www.museum.go.kr

And some pictures from the day. The first set of pictures are some of the actual artifacts in the museum.