Nagan Historical Village, Open-air museum in Suncheon, South Korea
Nagan Historical Village is an open-air museum in Suncheon, South Korea, preserving one of the country's oldest traditional village layouts. The houses are built from clay and wood, topped with straw roofs, and line narrow unpaved lanes inside an old fortress wall.
The village was founded over a thousand years ago as a fortress town built to protect its population from raids across the fertile plains. Its stone walls still stand today and encircle most of the settlement.
Some residents still live in the village today and practice traditional crafts such as straw weaving, papermaking, and fabric dyeing. Visitors can watch these crafts being made in small workshops and sometimes try them directly.
The village is open year-round and easy to explore on foot, since all the main areas are close together. Comfortable shoes are a good idea, as the lanes are unpaved and some parts of the site are uneven.
The village is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, and around 200 people still live inside the walls in homes that have no modern plumbing. Walking along the top of the fortress wall gives a full view over the straw rooftops spread below.
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