——————————— Hwasun ———————————

In a hilly area south of the Jiseokgang, a tributary of the Yeonsangang, 597 dolmens were found in the Bogeomjae valley, which connects the villages of Hyosan-ri in the northwest and Teashin-ri in the southeast. Even former quarries, from which the dolmens were broken out, could be located. The protected area consists of two areas on both sides of the passes, each containing six dolmen groups, around 250 in the Hyosan ri area and around 300 in the Teashin ri area.

Investigations on 35 dolmens have shown that they where built between 800 and 500 BC. At the graves, arrowheads, wedges, chisels and gemstones were found during excavations.

In Hwasun you can find the largest dolmen in Korea, the Pingmae Bawi (Pingmae Rock), whose name comes from a legend. The rock, serving as a capstone, is 7.3 m long, 5 m wide and 4 m thick and is one of the world’s largest specimens of its kind with a weight of over 200 tons.