Sariwon, city in North Hwanghae Province, North Korea
Sariwon is a city in North Hwanghae Province located about 65 kilometers southwest of Pyongyang with more than 300,000 residents. The city sits in a low-lying plain near the Chaeryong River with views of surrounding hills and fertile farmland.
Sariwon was long a small trading settlement whose significance is shown by ancient sites like Songbul Temple from 898 and Jongbang Fortress from the Goryeo Dynasty. The city was heavily damaged during the Korean War but was rebuilt after 1953 and developed into a provincial industrial and administrative center.
The name Sariwon refers to its location west of the Chaeryong River. Folk Customs Street shows reconstructed traditional houses and craft demonstrations that reflect how people lived and worked in earlier centuries.
Visitors reach the city best by organized tours from Pyongyang that guide you through selected sites like Folk Customs Street and Mount Kyongam. Tours are brief and time-limited as tourists are closely watched and led according to strict rules that limit real freedom of movement.
Songbul Temple dates to 898 from the Unified Silla period and is one of North Korea's oldest surviving wooden buildings with original statues and carvings. Mount Kyongam offers views of the small city and surrounding fields from an ancient pavilion.
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