Blooming Eulalia in Seoul
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
It's autumn and the mountains and fields are turning yellow and red. There are many people who visit these venues to enjoy the cool season during the weekends, but there are also many who cannot fit the trip into their busy schedules. Is autumn just too difficult to grasp? For those who cannot travel far to enjoy this time of the year, there are places where autumn is waiting close by in the city.
Sky Park located near the World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul, offers a spectacular view during the fall season with eulalias, or pampas grass attracting visitors during the weekends and weekdays. The park is also holding the 7th Seoul Eulalia Festival, offering a memorable experience for visitors.
The park was once called ``Nanjido,'' due to the orchids, or nan, and another plant called ``jicho,'' that surrounded the area. It was also known as the ``flower island'' because of the various flowers blossoming near the park.
Can you believe that the area was also a landfill? It may be hard to believe but 92 million tons of waste has been buried under the two million square meter land site 1978. After completely closing in 1993, it was made into an ecological park. As nature made its way, the park is now covered with tall, brown pampas grass, showing no hint of a landfill. The park is proof in showing how nature can start even in sterile land.
One of the most interesting features of Sky Park is the spacious grassland. With a ridge dividing the mountain in the shape of the alphabet X, visitors can find tall grass in the south and north areas, and shorter grass in the west and east sections.
By planting pampas grass in the northern section, people can enjoy nature along with the soft grass blowing in the wind. The short grass area offers various plants including thistles, violets, lettuces and also clovers.
The 2.72 million square meter park surrounded by the Hongjae Stream to the south, the Seongsan Stream to the north and the Nanji Stream to the east has become a beautiful nest of the city where various flora and fauna thrive.
Autumn is here. Enjoy the plentiful and delighting atmosphere of the season.
For more information about the 7th Eulalia Festival, visit https://worldcuppark.seoul.go.kr or call (02) 300-5500.
