[One Day Walk] The Beauty of Light and Water in the New Town... Gwanggyo Jungang Station

Editor's NoteThe subway is not only a transportation method that anyone can easily access and travel safely, but also an important point for daily walking. We introduce walkable places around subway stations.

Today's starting point is Gwanggyo Jungang Station on the Shinbundang Line of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. It is located at the very center of Gwanggyo New Town, which was developed following the relocation plan of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in the early 2000s. A transfer center connected to the station was built, making it a key transportation hub in the area. In fact, right next to Gwanggyo Jungang Station, major government offices of Gyeonggi Province such as the Provincial Government Office, Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, and Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Development Corporation (GH) are located, along with large shopping malls like Avenue France and Lotte Outlet.

Galleria Department Store Gwanggyo Exterior View [Photo by Hanwha Galleria]

The building that has become the landmark of Gwanggyo with its unique exterior is the Galleria Department Store Gwanggyo. It boasts the largest scale among Galleria department stores, spanning from basement level 1 to the 12th floor above ground. Designed by the renowned architect Rem Koolhaas, who received the Pritzker Prize, it features a distinctive design that looks as if a jewel is embedded inside a rock.

Glass roof of Galleria Department Store Gwanggyo, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi [Photo by Hanwha Galleria]

Typically, large shopping spaces like department stores are built without windows to prevent shoppers from noticing the passage of time through changes in the outside scenery, allowing them to focus on shopping. However, Galleria Department Store Gwanggyo is quite the opposite. Through the jewel-like glass corridor called the 'Galleria Loop,' natural light penetrates all floors of the department store. This realizes the concept of a 'department store where light passes through.' To achieve this, 1,451 triangular glass panels were used, and other spaces, shaped like cross-sections of massive rock layers, are composed of 14 types of granite and 125,000 stone pieces.

Night view of Gwanggyo Lake Park, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi [Photo by Suwon City Hall]

Just a little further down from Galleria Department Store Gwanggyo is Gwanggyo Lake Park, the largest urban lake park in Korea. After the Woncheon Reservoir and Shindae Reservoir were created in 1929, the area was developed as a recreational site starting in 1972. Later, with the development of Gwanggyo New Town, its use shifted from a recreational site to a lake park, which was completed in 2013.

The main facility of Gwanggyo Lake Park is called 'Urban Levee.' 'Levee' means embankment, and along it, a waterside deck was constructed to allow visitors to fully enjoy the lake's scenery. Especially at night, an illuminated path with LED lights creates a beautiful night view.

Another landmark of Gwanggyo Lake Park is today's destination, the Freiburg Observatory. This 33-meter-high tower was modeled after the observatory built in 1995 in Freiburg, Germany, a representative eco-friendly city. Visitors can quickly reach the top by elevator or slowly enjoy the scenery while climbing the spiral staircase, from where they can take in a panoramic view of the Gwanggyo Lake Park area.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.