Seoul Grand Park, Recreational park with zoo and botanical garden in Gwacheon, South Korea
Seoul Grand Park is a large recreational space in Gwacheon that combines gardens, walking paths, and animal exhibits across different themed areas. The grounds also include a contemporary art museum and glasshouse complex alongside open green spaces.
The zoo's origins lie in Changgyeongwon, created by the Japanese in 1909 in the former Changgyeonggung palace grounds. In February 1977 the plan to build a large park under the name Namseoul Grand Park and move the animals there was announced. Construction at Makgye-dong in Gwacheon began in 1978, and the new zoo opened on 1 May 1984.
The zoo began in 1909 as Changgyeongwon, a park the Japanese built by dismantling parts of Changgyeonggung Palace; its animals moved to Gwacheon in 1984. The zoo took the name Seoul Zoo on 1 May 2009, its centenary. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art opened on the grounds on 25 August 1986.
Seoul Grand Park is served by Line 4 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway at Seoul Grand Park Station, not Gwacheon Station. From there a shuttle bus runs to the art museum and the upper park entrance. Each attraction charges its own admission fee, so plan separate tickets for the zoo, botanical garden and Seoul Land.
The glasshouse complex holds more than 1,000 plant species from Korea and around the world. Visitors can discover rare plants and botanical specimens rarely seen elsewhere.
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