Seoul Museum of History
서울역사박물관
Next to Gyeonghuigung, laying out in order how Hanyang became today's Seoul — the right first-day stop for getting the shape of the city. It closes on Mondays, which is exactly when several of the palaces are open.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 서울역사박물관
- Address
- 55 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03177
- Opening hours
- Tue~Thu·Sat·Sun 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30) Fri 09:00–21:00
- Closed
- Jan 1 · Every Mon
- Hours notes
- Friday runs to 21:00, a change the museum dates to 12 April 2024. It does not publish a separate last-entry time for the extended evening.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Admission
- Free
Prices
| Admission | Free |
|---|
History
Under a plan to build a Seoul municipal museum, construction on the Gyeonghuigung site was approved. After the building was completed, the museum was renamed Seoul Museum of History and opened. Hanseong Baekje Museum and Seoul City Wall Museum later opened, and Seoul Museum of History completely reorganised its permanent galleries for its 20th anniversary.
June 1985
Plan for a municipal museum
March 1988
Approval of the Gyeonghuigung site
December 1993
Start of construction
December 1997
Completion of construction
September 2001
Renaming as Seoul Museum of History
21 May 2002
Opening of Seoul Museum of History
April 2012
Opening of Hanseong Baekje Museum
July 2014
Opening of Seoul City Wall Museum
June 2022
Reorganisation of the permanent galleries
March 2026
Opening of the children's museum
What to see
Five permanent exhibition areas
The permanent exhibition is divided into areas on Seoul during Joseon, Seoul during the opening of ports and the Korean Empire, Seoul under Japanese rule, Seoul as the capital of the Republic of Korea, and a city model and video gallery.
Area 1: Seoul during Joseon
Area 1 presents Seoul from the designation of Hanyang as the capital to the period before the opening of the ports. Centred on Yukjo-geori and the licensed shops (sijeon), it displays objects from Bukchon, Jungchon, Namchon and Seongjeosimni (the ten li outside the walls).
Joseon's founding and its capital, Hanyang
Hanyang was designated the new capital in 1394.
Changes in Hanyang
During the seven-year Imjin War, looting and fire left Hanyang's palaces and royal ancestral shrine, most government offices and rows of licensed shops, and homes in ashes.
Hanyang's prosperity
From the late 17th century, the Daedong tax law and the circulation of metal currency contributed to the development of a commodity and money economy in Hanyang, changing the royal capital into a commercial city.
Five permanent exhibition areas selected
Nearby
Stories about this place
- Museums Open Late in Jongno, Seoul: Which Evenings, and How to Walk Them
Five museums and galleries around Gyeongbokgung stay open into the evening, each on a different day of the week. Here is which day is which, what changes on the last Wednesday of the month, how to link them on foot, and what to do on the four evenings when none of them open late.
