Sangrim

Sangrim is a large forest(64,000pyeong) designated as Natural Monument No.154. As the oldest artificial forest in Korea, it shows how our ancestors protected their farm land and village from flood. Its value as a cultural document is high enough to be preserved. Hamyang Sangrim had a great risk of overflowing. As it is located at the upper stream of Namgang, all the streams from Mt. Jirisan on the south, Palryeongje and Yuksipryeongje on the west flew through the Hamyang basin. Therefore, the government official Choe Chiwon built the Sangrim by the riverside of Wicheon to escape from the flood in the Unified Silla Dynasty.

The forest was first called Daegwanrim, but the middle of it was demolished by the flood, dividing Sangrim(upper forest) and Harim(lower forest). Now Harim has only its trace and Harim remains its old shape as a thick forest with 1,000-year old trees. 116 kinds of trees were reported in the 1993 research. Now more than 20,000 trees are growing here. Sangrim keeps lots of legends regarding Choe Chiwon. One of them is that there is no snake, ant, and centipede in Sangrim. Choe Chiwon, extremely devoted to his mother, once heard that his mother was frightened at a snake in Sangrim. He ran to Sangrim and shouted "No trivial creatures shall enter Songrim." After that all the trivial creatures like snakes and ants disappeared. People in Sangrim still insist that there is no such creatures in Sangrim. Visitors can enjoy different taste of Sangrim by the season; the fresh green in spring, the thick green shades in summer, the maples in fall, the snow view in winter. Lying on the straw mat under the summer trees makes you feel like a hermit in the center of the city. Lovers and families share conversation and love, walking along the path through the forest.

Sangrim is full of tourist attractions including pavilions such as Hamhwa-ru, Saun-jeong, Choseon-jeong, Hwasu-jeon and tombstones such as Choe Chiwon Sindo-bi, Manse-bi, Cheokhwa-bi(rejection of negotiation), tombstones of governors and officials, as well as a stone Buddah and Dabyeoldang. Sangrim is not only a good escaping place from summer heat, but also a valuable place for children to study history and nature with 116 kinds of trees along the 1.6km long bank.