Making Mt. Namsan an “Open-Air Museum” : The Heritage Practices of Local Cultural Communities in 1950s-90s Gyeongju

Mt. Namsan in Gyeongju, South Korea, was transformed into an 'open-air museum' through the combined efforts of local cultural communities and institutional changes during the 1950s–90s. Initially organized around key historical points and connecting roads under the Park Chung-hee regime, its designation as a historic site in 1985 shifted its spatial structure from point- and line-focused to an area-centered model. Local heritage practices, particularly by cultural communities, played a pivotal role in this reconfiguration, embedding layers of Silla-era significance into the landscape. The study reveals how grassroots heritage activities and institutional policies collaboratively shaped Mt. Namsan into a multifaceted pilgrimage site, blending natural and cultural dimensions.

(Ed.). (2024). Making Mt. Namsan an “Open-Air Museum” : The Heritage Practices of Local Cultural Communities in 1950s-90s Gyeongju. The Association of Korean Cultural and Historical Geographers, 36(2), 92–115. https://doi.org/10.29349/jchg.2024.36.2.92