A Journey Through Time: Exploring Incheon Open Port and the Incheon Citizen's House
Songhak-dong 1(il)-ga, Jung-gu, Incheon, South Korea
During my trip to Incheon's Dongincheon Open Port area, after taking a trip back in time at the Jemulpo Club, I headed straight across the street to the Incheon Citizen's House.
The Incheon Citizen's House was formerly used as the official residence of the Mayor of Incheon.
Incheon Citizen's House
Address: 74, Sinpo-ro 39beon-gil, Jung-gu, Incheon
Hours: 09:30 - 17:30 (Break time 12:00 - 13:00)
Admission: Free
Closed every Monday
Parking: Not available. It is recommended to use public parking when visiting Dongincheon.
A little background: The old mayor's residence in Songhak-dong, Incheon, was originally a villa owned by a Japanese businessman in the 1900s. It's a mansion that features a blend of Japanese and Western architectural styles, complete with a traditional Japanese garden.
The City of Incheon purchased the house and completed renovations in 1966, using it as the mayor's official residence until 2001. After the Incheon City Hall relocated, the former residence was transformed into a historical archive.
After renovations in July 2021, it was reborn as the Incheon Citizen's House.
Today, it serves as a complex historical and cultural space offering various programs for the citizens of Incheon.
The Incheon Citizen's House is largely divided into three spaces: the former official residence, a traditional Korean house, is now called '1883 Modern House'; the front yard and garden are collectively known as 'Jemulpo Garden'; and the guardhouse building has been transformed into the 'History Observatory.'
Traces of its past as a Japanese house and the mayor's official residence can still be found throughout the property.
Here's what it looked like from the outside.
Following the Incheon Citizen's House sign, I entered and was greeted by a beautiful traditional Korean house.
I love stumbling upon such tranquil traditional Korean houses in the heart of the city!
The scenery of the house and garden was so lovely that I took some time to appreciate the overall view from outside.
My husband had already gone inside on his own and was peeking out through the doors, haha.
Inside View
With excitement, I opened the door and stepped inside, but I was surprised to see shoes scattered about.
Even though it's a cultural heritage site, it's now a space open to the public, so it felt very much like a place where citizens can come and relax.
It was Saturday, and it seemed like they were preparing for a performance or event near the entrance, likely because it's a multi-cultural complex.
It would be wonderful to attend a humanities gathering, performance, or exhibition in a space like this.
The hallway leads straight inside, and there's a large space on the right that resembles a reception room.
I loved the lush green view of the garden seen through the windows.
There was a guest book on the table where visitors could leave their thoughts.
Moving further along, I found sketchbooks and colored pencils. It seemed like they had set them up to allow people to study history and enjoy a relaxing time while coloring buildings with modern historical significance in the Incheon Open Port area.
I explored the small rooms along the internal corridor.
Although it's a traditional Korean house, I felt a hint of Japanese style in the window frames and the shape of the paper screens.
I rested for a while, left a comment in the guest book, and then went outside.
I took a stroll and admired the garden.
It was a small but beautiful scene that harmonized well with the traditional Korean house!
Walking down the stone steps, I definitely felt the influence of Japanese garden design.
While staying at the Incheon Citizen's House, I could definitely sense that it was a modern building that blended traditional Korean, Japanese, and Western styles.
Incheon Dongincheon, as a modern open port, has many modern buildings that hold history. It could easily be called a historical museum.
I recommend visiting on the weekend!
I will continue posting about other Open Port explorations. :)
And check out my previous post for Jemulpo Club, which is located across the street. :)
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