Every once in a while, a little-known, off-the-beaten-path site manages to outshine the already inscribed sites of a country. It's rare; most of the newly inscribed sites are below average (Els had a blog post on this). But Unjusa is just that: a hidden gem.

We arrived from Gwangju and spent two hours exploring Unjusa. The site consists of a temple complex, pagodas lined against the valley and along the hillsides, tombstones of deceased monks, and several rock-hewn Buddhas. It also features a representation of the Big Dipper, supposedly one of the earliest. An explanation given by wikipedia for all the stone masonry is that this was a school of ... stone masons. 

You can easily spend more than two hours here, as the site offers many hiking trails. They also have a small, and at the time of our visit, very idle cafe.

OUV

Unjusa was the most iconic temple, we visited in Korea, even outshining established World Heritage sites like Bulguksa, Tongdosa, Seonamsa, and Haeinsa. It offers the serene natural beauty typical of Korean temples, but with the added benefit of fewer crowds due to its lower profile. And I may be mistaken, but it felt that the temple was in a more original state and more carefully renovated than the other, heavily reconstructed WHS we saw on our trip in Korea.

Unlike the other Korean temples, the valley at Unjusa is adorned with remarkable pagodas and statues lining the hillsides, adding a unique flavour to the site. While I wouldn’t go as far as Philipp in calling it the best World Heritage site in Korea (for me, that’s Gyeongju), Unjusa would certainly make my top three. Without hesitation, I strongly recommend it for inscription.

 

Getting There

The closest major city is Gwangju. Public transport options were a bit unclear, so we opted to take a bus to Hwasun district and got off at Neungju. From there, we hired a local taxi (about 25,000 Won one way), and the driver arranged to pick us up two hours later to return to Neungju, where we caught a bus back to Gwangju.

While You’re There

On our way to Unjusa, we passed the parking area for the Hwasun Dolmen site. Having already enjoyed a rewarding visit to the Gochang Dolmen site the previous day, we decided to skip it. Gwangju itself is a pleasant city with a rich history, and its Protestant missionary buildings are being considered for a future nomination on Korea’s tentative World Heritage list.