Bank of Korea Museum
Encyclopedia
Bank of Korea Museum is an economics and numismatics museum
in Seoul
founded by the Bank of Korea
in 2001. Its address is 110 Namdaemunno 3-ga, Jung-gu
, Seoul
.
The museum is housed in a designated historic building in Seoul, constructed in 1912 and previously the head office of the Bank of Korea
.
, is a protected historic landmark that was designated as National Historic Site No. 280 in 1981. Originally intended as the Seoul branch office for the Dai-Ichi Bank
, it was designed by Tatsuno Kingo
, a renowned Japanese architect who also designed Tokyo Station
and the Bank of Japan
building in Tokyo.
The construction started on November, 1907, but the building's intended tenant switched during the construction. The building was finally finished on January, 1912 as the headquarters for the Bank of Chosen, the central bank of Korea during the Japanese occupation
.
Following the liberation of Korea from the Japanese rule in 1945, the Bank of Chosen was dissolved and the Bank of Korea
, the central bank of South Korea
, was instead established on June 12th, 1950; however, the building maintained its status as the head office for the newly-formed bank. During the Korean War
, the building suffered major demage from air raids
, but was repaired from May, 1956 to October, 1958.
Since then, the building was continuously used as the head office for the Bank of Korea
until the bank moved its operations to a newly-constructed tower located behind this building in 1987. From 1987 to 1989, the facade
and roof
of the building were restored to their original design, while the interior was somewhat altered by replacing plaster with marble. The last office of the Bank of Korea
left this building on December, 2000, and the building was converted and opened as Bank of Korea Museum on June 13th, 2001.
, the museum building was partly inspired by a French chateau
and French Renaissance
architecture. It features a symmetrical and centralized layout with a floor area of 8703.5 square meters. While constructed mainly in concrete and steel, the outer walls were entirely made in granite
harvested outside Heunginjimun Gate in Seoul.
The main entrance is greatly protruded from the facade to accommodate automobiles and is supported by four Tuscan order
columns, while the three out of four corners of the building are respectively flanked by three towers with domes and finials. The lower section of the building's facade
is decorated with a series of horizontal lines formed by protruding granite blocks, and the upper section of the building is decorated with detailed pediments, a dark-colored cornice
, and balustrades. Pilasters were also used, each adorned with a granite carving of a shield.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
founded by the Bank of Korea
Bank of Korea
The Bank of Korea is the central bank of South Korea and issuer of South Korean won. It was established on June 12, 1950 at Seoul, South Korea.The Bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the Bank targets inflation...
in 2001. Its address is 110 Namdaemunno 3-ga, Jung-gu
Jung-gu, Seoul
Jung-gu is one of the 25 gu which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north side of the Han River, and is the historical center of the city .-Overview:...
, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
.
The museum is housed in a designated historic building in Seoul, constructed in 1912 and previously the head office of the Bank of Korea
Bank of Korea
The Bank of Korea is the central bank of South Korea and issuer of South Korean won. It was established on June 12, 1950 at Seoul, South Korea.The Bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the Bank targets inflation...
.
History
The museum building, formerly the main and head office of the Bank of KoreaBank of Korea
The Bank of Korea is the central bank of South Korea and issuer of South Korean won. It was established on June 12, 1950 at Seoul, South Korea.The Bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the Bank targets inflation...
, is a protected historic landmark that was designated as National Historic Site No. 280 in 1981. Originally intended as the Seoul branch office for the Dai-Ichi Bank
Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank
The , abbreviated as , was one of the largest banks in the world during the latter half of the 20th century. It combined with Fuji Bank and the Industrial Bank of Japan in 2000 to form Mizuho Financial Group....
, it was designed by Tatsuno Kingo
Tatsuno Kingo
was a Japanese architect born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu.He studied in Japan at the Imperial College of Engineering where he was one of the first to graduate in 1879 under British architect Josiah Conder. He visited England and worked in the office of William Burges in 1881-2. He taught...
, a renowned Japanese architect who also designed Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station
is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
and the Bank of Japan
Bank of Japan
is the central bank of Japan. The Bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chuo, Tokyo.-History:Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was founded after the Meiji Restoration...
building in Tokyo.
The construction started on November, 1907, but the building's intended tenant switched during the construction. The building was finally finished on January, 1912 as the headquarters for the Bank of Chosen, the central bank of Korea during the Japanese occupation
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
.
Following the liberation of Korea from the Japanese rule in 1945, the Bank of Chosen was dissolved and the Bank of Korea
Bank of Korea
The Bank of Korea is the central bank of South Korea and issuer of South Korean won. It was established on June 12, 1950 at Seoul, South Korea.The Bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the Bank targets inflation...
, the central bank of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, was instead established on June 12th, 1950; however, the building maintained its status as the head office for the newly-formed bank. During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, the building suffered major demage from air raids
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
, but was repaired from May, 1956 to October, 1958.
Since then, the building was continuously used as the head office for the Bank of Korea
Bank of Korea
The Bank of Korea is the central bank of South Korea and issuer of South Korean won. It was established on June 12, 1950 at Seoul, South Korea.The Bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the Bank targets inflation...
until the bank moved its operations to a newly-constructed tower located behind this building in 1987. From 1987 to 1989, the facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
and roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
of the building were restored to their original design, while the interior was somewhat altered by replacing plaster with marble. The last office of the Bank of Korea
Bank of Korea
The Bank of Korea is the central bank of South Korea and issuer of South Korean won. It was established on June 12, 1950 at Seoul, South Korea.The Bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the Bank targets inflation...
left this building on December, 2000, and the building was converted and opened as Bank of Korea Museum on June 13th, 2001.
Architecture
Designed in an early 20th-century eclectic styleEclecticism
Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.It can sometimes seem inelegant or...
, the museum building was partly inspired by a French chateau
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
and French Renaissance
French Renaissance
French Renaissance is a recent term used to describe a cultural and artistic movement in France from the late 15th century to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that many cultural historians believe originated in northern Italy in the fourteenth century...
architecture. It features a symmetrical and centralized layout with a floor area of 8703.5 square meters. While constructed mainly in concrete and steel, the outer walls were entirely made in granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
harvested outside Heunginjimun Gate in Seoul.
The main entrance is greatly protruded from the facade to accommodate automobiles and is supported by four Tuscan order
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
columns, while the three out of four corners of the building are respectively flanked by three towers with domes and finials. The lower section of the building's facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
is decorated with a series of horizontal lines formed by protruding granite blocks, and the upper section of the building is decorated with detailed pediments, a dark-colored cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
, and balustrades. Pilasters were also used, each adorned with a granite carving of a shield.