방아다리약수터

Near the Bangadari Mineral Spring, which has been famous since the Joseon dynasty, a unique cultural complex was established. It feels as if you are at a forest in North Europe with the white buildings that are in harmony with green firs. It is Mill Bridge, an English name of Bangadari Mineral Spring. The surroundings of the Bangadari Mineral Spring became a wasteland after the Korean War. In the 1950s, the late Kim Ik-ro started to create a forest which has been transformed into what it is today through more than 60 years of cultivation. With the total of 100,000 trees, including firs and larches, have been artificially planted. From the entrance of Mill Bridge to the mineral spring, there is a 300 meter long fir forest, which is the main result of the cultivation. However, the deteriorated facilities have been abandoned in the national park in Odaesan Mountain, and has damaged the natural landscape and threatened the safety of visitors. Thus, the existing facilities were renovated and improved centering around the Bangadari Mineral Spring, newly turning into a natural education center of Odaesan Moutain. Mill Bridge, designed by Seung H-Sang, the top architecture of Korea, has a forest trail that uses the environment of fir forest to the fullest, wild flower garden, wetland park, meditation garden, gallery, coffee shop, accommodation, and a space for education and culture in line with the forest. The small and large buildings surrounded by the firs standing straight toward the sky look like a part of forest. The space is not fancy, but it is a cozy rest area providing oneness with nature where you can forget the complicated life in the city for a while. The accommodation has 18 rooms. The wide window that takes in the forest landscape, white walls, and wooden furniture will naturally draw your attention back to the forest even when inside. Mill Bridge, where you can spend a peaceful time free from the busy routines, is not only perfect as a recreational forest but also a place for education where children can experience nature. Even without spending a night there, you can experience forest through day experience programs. Visitors will be greeted with various experience programs, such taking part in the forest commentary with a guide, making bread board with hinoki cypress, making dream catcher, meditating in a hammock, singing ball meditation, and treeplaying as part of the forest sports. While you stay at Mill Bridge, time will go slowly and quietly. Walk down the trail filled with firs and larches in light clothes and feel the energy from the forest. You don’t have to have a set destination as you will feel your day enriched with the forest and nature.

The quality of Bangadari Mineral Spring is said to have been recognized during the reign of King Sukjong of Joseon. Local legends say that an old man, who was wasting away from an unknown disease, met the spirit of a mountain deity in a dream, who instructed him to dig a hole in the ground. A clear mineral spring sprouted forth from the hole, and the old man was healed after drinking the water from the spring. Afterward, he set up an altar and began offering ceremonies to the deity. Indeed, water from the Bangadari Mineral Spring has nearly 30 types of minerals, including carbonates and iron, which help to mitigate stomach disorders, anemia, and neuralgia. Bangadari Mineral Spring and the surrounding areas were left in ruins after the Korean War. Mr. Kim Ik-ro, an educator dedicated to reforestation, spent nearly 50 years from 1964 onward restoring the area to its former beauty. Nearly 70 species of trees are planted around the area, including Korean pine, spruce, and almost 100 fir trees. In addition, fir trees line the 1km-long stretch of the trail connecting the entrance with the mineral spring, so you can enjoy a leisurely walk there.