'What Did Jeonju Look Like Long Ago?'

The Jeonju-bu Map owned by Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) is being revealed to the public. The JBNU University Museum will exhibit the Jeonju-bu Map in the Life and Culture Room of its permanent exhibition hall from September 11.

The Jeonju-bu Map in the possession of the JBNU University Museum is a four-panel map depicting Jeonju Fortress and 31 myeon. It is believed to have been drawn in the 19th century. The map was stored as a four-panel folding screen and was designated Jeollabuk-do Tangible Cultural Property No. 80 on December 31, 1977.

This exhibition presents a recently produced reproduction of the map by the museum, making its original form available to the public. The map holds significant historical value not only for Jeonju's history but also from the perspective of urban planning.

▲ Significance of the Jeonju-bu Map

The Jeonju-bu Map depicts Jeonju Fortress at the center as a rounded square and shows four major gates on the four cardinal sides. Regional boundaries and place names are recorded against a backdrop of layered mountains. On the first panel it is recorded that 'the 31 myeon total 15,998 households, of which the four myeon within Jeonju Fortress are 3,783 households, and the myeon outside the fortress are 12,215 households.' The four main gates of Jeonju Fortress are shown with the South Gate (the present-day Pungnammun) drawn as a two-story pavilion, while the others are depicted as single-story. Notably, the bulwark of the North Gate no longer exists but is shown in a form different from the other three gates. The fourth panel records an east–west distance of 80 ri (approximately 320 km) and a north–south distance of 110 ri (approximately 440 km), and lists distances to Jinan, Gosan, Sunchang, Imsil, Gimje, Geumgu, Impi, Yeosan, and Iksan.

Compared with the Gyujanggak-held 'Jeonju Map', 'Jeollado Gwanchalsa Yeongji', the National Jeonju Museum-held 'Wansan Sipgok Folding Screen', 'Honam Eupji', and the 'Jeollado Gwanchalbu Gwana-do' from 'Jeonju Busa', the Jeonju-bu Map uniquely records the gyeseoso (啓書所) and the gunroechong (軍牢廳).

The historical records represented in the Jeonju-bu Map are evaluated as highly important materials not only for the history of Jeonju-bu but also for studies of urban planning.

▲ Reviving 19th-Century Jeonju-bu

The reproduction project for the Jeonju-bu Map was launched not only to improve the preservation environment of the holdings but also as part of the JBNU University Museum's efforts to publicize its restoration work on historical records under the slogan 'A University at the Center of Recorded Culture'.

The reproduction made for this project restores all place names of the 31 myeon that were worn away or left only as traces. It also clearly reconstructs the interior of Jeonju Fortress, making it possible to identify detailed building names that were previously almost unrecognizable.

By replacing the short-term exhibition of the original with the reproduction, the museum minimizes alteration and damage to the original while allowing visitors to view the Jeonju-bu Map for a longer period in better conditions.

▲ Laying the Foundation for Detailed Study of the Jeonju-bu Map

The Jeonju-bu Map, together with the Gyujanggak-held 'Jeonju Map', the National Jeonju Museum-held 'Wansan Sipgok Folding Screen', and the 'Jeollado Gwanchalbu Gwana-do' from 'Jeonju Busa', is one of the important sources for researching the history of Jeonju. However, basic historical facts such as the creator, date of creation, and production background remain unknown. The museum plans to use the production of this reproduction as an opportunity to address these issues one by one.