Anseong Midam-ro Mural Street: From Rice Market Street Legends to the History of the Cattle Market

The mural street created in the Midam-ro area of Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, is going beyond a simple photo zone to serve as a 'history book on the street' that records the history and traditions of Anseong. According to a Culture Portal video, the Midam-ro Mural Street is divided into a total of six sections—Rice Market Street, Anseong Symbol Street, Anseong Specialty Street, Cattle Market Street, Anseong Railway Street, and Anseong Matchum Street—showing the past and present of Anseong.

The touching legend of Rice Market Street and the cultural heritage of Anseong Symbol Street

The first section you encounter, 'Rice Market Street,' is an area that has been famous since the Joseon era for the excellent quality of its five grains and miscellaneous grains. The murals here contain the old scenery of buying and selling rice, along with a touching legend about a girl from a rice shop who suffered from headaches and a young man from a pharmacy who fell in love with her while researching medicine for her. Currently, Anseong rice mills and shops continue that legacy.

The following 'Anseong Symbol Street' expresses the abundance of Anseong through murals using nature as a subject. Here, one can confirm the diverse cultural values embraced by Anseong, including the Namsadang Baudeogi, Anseong Matchum brassware, the images of artisans who made leather shoes, as well as temples, Buddhist culture, and the history of independence.

From the cattle market to the vanished railway, the traces of Anseong engraved in the alleys

In 'Anseong Specialty Street,' one can catch a glimpse of the history of pears and leather shoes, which were representative specialties of Anseong. In the past, Anseong cultivated many horses that served as raw materials for pears, allowing pears to establish themselves as a representative local specialty, and through the murals, one can see scenes of selling pears in the past.

'Cattle Market Street' symbolizes the cattle market of the Anseong Market, which boasted a large scale since the Joseon era. The murals capture the vibrant scenes of the time when many people gathered to buy and sell cattle, and this tradition has become the background for being able to taste beef soup on the streets of Anseong even today. The 'Anseong Railway Street' section retraces the history of Anseong Station and the railway that disappeared during the modernization process, reminding visitors of the traces of the old railway that are now forgotten.

The final section, 'Anseong Matchum Street,' shows the essence of Anseong's craftsmanship, which boasts sophisticated skills. In particular, a scene where the Namsadang troupe's Baudeogi performs various acrobatics such as tightrope walking is depicted in a mural, delivering a sense of liveliness as if watching a performance on-site. As such, the Midam-ro Mural Street is a space where one can directly encounter the glorious moments Anseong has passed through while walking along the alleys.