The official name of one of the most closed states on the planet is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but much more often travel agencies offer to go to North Korea. However, tours to the country are still not in great demand because of the special regime for visiting attractions, and because the trip is not too cheap for a foreigner. There is an opinion that there is not much to do in the DPRK, but travelers who have visited Pyongyang and other regions do not agree with this statement. While studying the question of what to see in North Korea, pay attention to natural attractions. Some of them are available for foreigners arriving as part of organized tourist groups.
TOP 10 attractions in North Korea
Mausoleum of Kim Il Sung
The place of the last refuge of the former leader of the country and its ideological inspirer is located in the center of the capital of North Korea. It is called Geumsuan Palace of the Sun. During his lifetime, Kim Il Sung worked here, and the palace was his residence, and after his death it turned into a necropolis.
You can look at the mausoleum on any day, and get inside - only on a specific schedule. Before visiting, you will have to hand over all photographic equipment, bags and outerwear to the storage room.
In Hall 1, called the Hall of Tears, there is a sculpture of Kim Il Sung surrounded by bas-reliefs depicting crying people. The second hall contains the actual coffin made of glass. Approaching the deceased, one should bow, bypassing the sarcophagus. The next room displays the awards received by the founder of the Juche state ideology from his own country and foreign states. In hall 4 there is a carriage in which the eternal president of the DPRK (the real title received by comrade Kim after his death) traveled, and in the fifth - his car.
Opposite the Geumsuang Palace of the Sun on Mount Taesong, there is a memorial cemetery, where the wife of the eternal president of North Korea rests among the revolutionaries and other worthy people.
Ryugyong skyscraper
The construction of the tallest building in the capital and North Korea began in the 80s. last century. Today, the leaders of socialist production from all corners of the republic come to the Ryugyon hotel to see the building, because the structure is one of the hundred record-high buildings on the planet.
The skyscraper consists of three triangular wings that connect at the top. The height of each of them is 100 m, the width is 18 m, and in total Ryugyon has 105 floors. At the top of the structure is a circular structure, the lower floors of which can rotate.
For various reasons, including political and economic, the hotel has not yet been commissioned. Architectural critics around the world call Ryugyon the ugliest structure on the planet and invariably rank the skyscraper at the first positions of such ratings. One way or another, but "the only piece of science fiction in the modern world", as the Italian engineer Stefano Boeri accurately defined, continues to attract the attention of numerous tourists.
Goguryeo Tombs
On the territory bordering the PRC, there is a complex of burials, included by UNESCO in the lists of the World Heritage of Humanity. Six dozen personal tombs have survived from the time of the Goguryeo kingdom, which existed in the Middle Kingdom and modern North Korea and reached a special heyday in the 1st century. n. NS.
Most of the open burials have rich murals from the 5th-7th centuries, perfectly preserved and representing the daily life of that historical period.
The researchers of the tombs found that the state of Goguryeo had a high technological potential and its culture had a noticeable impact on the development of all of East Asia.
You can visit the tombs in North Korea and see the murals if you apply in advance to the accompanying year. The issue price for one tourist and one burial place is $ 100.
Copies of the frescoes are presented in the National Gallery of the capital of the country.
Mausoleum of Tangun
The first Korean state was called Gochoson. It was founded, according to local legend, by the grandson of the god of heaven Tangun and it happened in the third millennium BC. In the town of Kandong near the capital of North Korea, you can see the ancient mausoleum, in which, according to local residents, the founding father of Gojoson is buried.
The burial complex covers about two square kilometers and includes the actual tomb, stone statues and a restoration area. The grave of the grandson of the god of heaven looks like a pyramid, the side of the base of which is 50 m, and the height is more than 20 m.
When studying the tomb, many historical versions arose, but scientists never came to a common denominator. Some believe that the burial has four thousand years behind them, others - that the tomb appeared much later in the period from the 1st to the 7th centuries. ad. Who is actually buried in the necropolis is also not known for certain. The country's authorities do not allow an independent study with the involvement of foreign experts, and therefore the mystery of the Tangun mausoleum is still on the unsolved list.
Tomb of kongming-wang
The 31st ruler of the Goryeo state was Konmin, who was buried with his wife 14 km away. from Kaesong City. His tomb is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and all guests of North Korea come together with guides to see the historical landmark.
The monument consists of two burial mounds piled on granite foundations. They are decorated with stone sculptures of animals and people. The late van himself was engaged in its construction. Having buried his wife in 1365, Konmin decided to take care of the family necropolis, and after 8 years the tomb was ready. The crypts of the sovereign and the princess are located on the tops of the mounds. Stairs lead to the graves, on the sides of which there are dozens of three-meter sculptures depicting warriors. The walls of the interior are painted with colored frescoes.
The necropolis was plundered during the Japanese occupation, and most of the artifacts were taken to the Land of the Rising Sun. In the Kaesong Museum, you can only see the coffin with the relics of Kongmin.
Museum of the Korean Revolution
On the Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, there is an exposition of one of the largest museums in the DPRK. The collection celebrates the eternal president of North Korea, his wife Kim Jong Suk and other prominent figures and revolutionaries.
The exposition was first presented to workers in 1948, and in 1972 it was moved to a large palace built specifically to house the museum's collection. Visitors are greeted by a granite mosaic panel of the main façade depicting Mount Paektusan in the homeland of Kim Il Sung. The bronze statue of the leader in the square in front of the entrance was unveiled along with the exhibition. The height of the sculpture is 20 m. On both sides of the eternal president of the DPRK, there are sculptural groups consisting of more than a hundred figures of revolutionaries.
The Museum of the Korean Revolution displays historical documents and photographs that tell about the glorious path of the country, the struggle of its people against the Japanese invaders and other enemies. Some of the exhibits are dedicated to the propaganda of churchkhe ideas.
Reunification arc
In 1972, representatives of the DPRK and the Republic of Korea signed a joint statement of the North and South, declaring three principles of unification. They agreed to work towards the creation of a single country without anyone's interference, to ensure the principles of national unity regardless of differences in ideology and to reunite the state peacefully. In honor of the signing of the document, a monument was erected on the Reunification Highway leading from Pyongyang to the demilitarized zone on the border of South Korea and the DPRK. It is an arch depicting the Korean Peninsula. Its pillars are female figures in traditional national costumes.
International Friendship Exhibition
The museum complex on Mount Myohyangsan invites you to look at the gifts received by the North Korean leaders from foreign countries and their delegations. In Korean culture, giving gifts to guests or hosts is an important component of national traditions, and therefore a huge number of gifts have accumulated during the existence of the DPRK. The museum presents the most interesting and significant ones, collected in 150 rooms of the palace.
Most of the souvenirs were received from the leaders of the former socialist camp: a bulletproof car from Stalin; a sword of silver adorned with pearls from Arafat; a suitcase made of alligator skin from Castro; a whole armored train from Mao.
Chhilbosan Mountain
The legend of the buried treasures gave its name to the Chilbossan mountain. The Mountain of Seven Treasures, as translated from the Korean Chilbosan, is famous today for its magnificent views from its top, and the Kesimsa Buddhist temple, founded no later than the 9th century.
The mountain is located in Hamgyeongbuk-do province in northeastern North Korea. The height of the highest point of the mountain range is just under 900 m.
Triumphal Arch
The feat of the heroes of the Korean resistance against the Japanese occupation in the first half of the 20th century was reflected in the Arc de Triomphe built at the foot of Moranbong Hill. The official opening of the North Korean landmark took place in 1982, when the country celebrated the 70th anniversary of Kim Il Sung. The North Korean people celebrated his role in the fight against the Japanese invaders with a grandiose construction of white marble, each of the 25,500 blocks of which symbolizes one day in the life of the eternal president.
The Triumphal Arch in Pyongyang is the tallest in the world. It rises 60 m and its width is 50 m. Several dozen rooms, observation platforms and elevators have been designed in the structure. Each of the four vaulted portals is decorated with forged azalea flowers and is 27 m high. The arch contains the full lyrics of the song about Kim Il Sung, who liberated the people of North Korea from Japanese invaders.
