Holiday Journal

• Start
•  
• Snow Festival
•  
• Coal Museum
•  
• Hill of Wind
•  
• Yongyeon Cave
•  
• Chujeon Station
•  
• Hwangji Pond
•  
• V-Train
•  
• Buncheon Station
•  
• Coal Mine History Town
•  
• Paleozoic Museum
•  
• Gumunso
•  
• Finish

Cheoram Coal Mine History Town and Mural Painting Village where You Can See the Life of the Coal Miners

Near Cheoram Station in Taebaek-si where there are coal preparation plants that used to deliver coals, there are cultural places to see. To the north around Cheoramcheon(Nakdong River), there is Cheoram Coal Mine History Town consisting of 11 buildings, and there's a mural painting village with drawings on Cheoram united shops buildings in the south. Not only that, the village where the coal miners used to live in the 40-60s still remain and it's where the past and the present co-exist. Okay, let's go.

The right across the street from active coal preparation plant is Coal Mine History Town. The fact that I couldn't see anyone in the village but the factory was actively operating was irony.

Most of buildings in the village across Cheoramcheon(Cheoram River) were built in the 40-60s and some people still live in some of those houses.

I went up a little and saw empty houses left by coal miners a few decades ago, and saw fish drying up like they're telling me 'someone lives here'.

These coal briquettetes are only seen in a bar with a theme of “old times" if you're in a city. My family used coal briquettetes until the 1990s. I was the only man in the house so it was my job to change used briquettetes. So my mother was often frightened to see me breathing gas in sleep and carried me outside on her back.

As numerous coal mines appeared in Taebaek, the caves the coal miners dug themselves are easily found here. Right behind the village was railway that shows how hard their life was.

Their life was written on the wall as well. When the industry was in boom around 60-70s, their monthly payment was 300,000 won. The government official used to get 10,000 won a month in the 60s and my father got 50,000 won in the 70s so they were definitely overpaid. But one man who worked risking his life left a comment and it broke my heart. “Coal mines put production as a priority so people's lives are not an issue."

I'll get inside Coal Mine History Town. There was a tour guide on the first floor who was kind enough to give me explanations. You could accompany him during the tour and listen to him. It's fun.

This place has pictures, documents and data of old times of Cheoram as well as gallery of artworks of artists. The inside was re-decorated but thankfully, outside the building is the same as before. I couldn't recognise where the Coal Mine History Town was. Names of exhibition buildings were Pelicana, Honam Supermarket, Hanyang Coffeeshop and so on, which was brilliant.

A dozen buildings used as exhibition halls are called bracket buildings because they have pillars supporting the back of the building. In order to use the space as wide as possible, the pillars are stuck in the water so the houses look like floating. All of them were built in the 1940-1960s.

In front of the leftmost building, a woman with a child on her back was waving at, I was wondering and saw a mine worker waving back across Cheoram River. It's an interesting work.

The entrance to underground next to Hanyang Coffeeshop. I could feel the coal miners' tiring and exhausting life. If you get down, you'll see different houses are divided in a few sections in small space.

I could see sunflowers on the walls of their houses, Samgyupsal restaurant they enjoyed eating to remove coal dust from their body, and exhibition to see the life of people from Cheoram.

Old and shabby products showing their simple life and photos of them moved me deeply.

The last scene of the movie starring Park Jung-hun and An Seong-gi was filmed at coal preparation plant across the street from Coal Mine History Town. It was raining. I remember.

There's a mural painting alley along the united buildings connected to the south area from Cheoram Station. It's not so big but it's nice to take a look after the museum.

These buildings were also built when the business was in good condition, and the chimneys were impressive. Most of the houses here must use briquette boiler. Some of the mural paintings made me laugh and some made me sad.

There are mural paintings and other artworks as well and you should notice that they're not just pretty paintings but they tell stories about the town's history. And most of the paintings were from the pictures.

The people who are dead or old are drawn on the walls so they look more real-like.

An old lady living in this house explained about this painting like a tour guide. Five coal miners on the roof were impressive as well.

The artwork titled 'coal miners mining coals' was also impressive and 6 miner characters were so cute and adorable.

If you're planning to go to Buncheon Station by V-train or if you're already in Cheoram Station, you should definitely drop by the places I've showed you today. You don't have to take much time and make your trip worthwhile.

+ Address of Cheoram Coal Mine History Town : 404, Dongtaebaek-ro, Taebaek-si, Gangwon-do
+ Telephone : 033-582-8070