Kwangbok Street
| Kwangbok Street | |
|---|---|
| Road in Pyongyang | |
 |
|
| Kwangbok Street at the level of the Pyongyang Circus (right). On the left there is an immortality tower and behind it high-rise buildings of the Kwangbok residential area. | |
| Basic data | |
| place | Pyongyang |
| District | Mangyŏngdae-guyŏk |
| Created | 1989 |
| Connecting roads | Heroic Youth Street, Pulgun Street |
| Buildings | Kwangbok Residential District , Kwangbok Department Store , Pyongyang Circus , Mangyongdae Student Palace |
| use | |
| User groups | Foot traffic , car traffic |
| Technical specifications | |
| Street length | about 6000 meters |
The Kwangbok Street (German: "Road of Liberation") is a main thoroughfare in the North Korean capital Pyongyang . The road is about six kilometers long and a hundred meters wide. Along with Chongchun Street , it is the most important thoroughfare in the Mangyŏngdae-guyŏk district and is also one of the most densely populated residential areas.
It was completed in 1989 on the occasion of the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students .
Transport links
The road leads from the Jongim Bridge over the Chilgol flyover to the west out of town towards Mangyongdae . At its end it joins the Road of the Heroic Youth , completed in 2000 , the widest highway in North Korea. In its course to the west, it separates the districts of Palgol-dong, Chilgol-dong and Kalrimgil-dong in the north from the districts of Tangsan-dong, Chukjon-dong and Chukchon-dong in the south. At the eastern end of the street is the Kwangbok station on the Hyŏksin line of the Pyongyang Metro .
Adjacent buildings and facilities
The development on Kwangbok Street consists largely of 14-storey residential buildings. In addition, partly wave-shaped, partly cylindrical high-rise buildings and apartment blocks with 20, 30, 35 and 42 floors protrude from the settlement area. In the 1990s alone, apartments for 100,000 households were built here. There are also several terraced houses and public buildings along the street. All buildings come together to form a uniform architectural street scene. The most famous facilities on Kwangbok Street include the Mangyongdae Student Palace , the Pyongyang Circus and the Ch'ŏngnyŏn Hotel at the intersection of Chongchun Street and the Kwangbok Department Store , one of the largest shopping centers in North Korea. Across the street from the Pyongyang Circus is a Tower of Immortality in memory of former rulers Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il .
Since October 1992, there has been a hospital dedicated to military officers on Kwangbok Street. The restaurant on Kwangbok Street, which opened in December 2008 and specializes in Italian cuisine , is unusual for North Korea .
Kwangbok residential area
The Kwangbok residential area stretches along much of the street and forms a settlement area built in the 1980s with over 25,000 residential units.
The three 30-story skyscrapers opposite the Pyongyang Circus are particularly striking. They each consist of three circular residential towers, which are arranged in a triangle to one another and connected to other residential units with the floor plan of a star triangle. With a floor plan of 1440 square meters, they have a total gross floor area of 46,960 square meters.
The three-wing residential buildings, also with 30 floors and a floor plan of 1351 square meters, have 420 residential units with a total of 40,000 square meters.
Another eye-catching residential complex has a hexagonal floor plan and consists of two 33-storey and three 42-storey sub-buildings.
Economic importance in Kwangbok-residential area is attributed to Pyongyang Lichtleitkabelwerk where since April 1992 light cables are produced.
Kwangbok department store
The Kwangbok Department Store is the third largest shopping mall in North Korea. It has three floors and offers a retail area of 27,000 square meters. Its construction began during the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students . It was opened in October 1991. In 2008 the building got a glass facade. Fundamental renovations took place in 2010. Before reopening on January 5, 2011, it was personally visited and assessed by Kim Jong-il and his son Kim Jong-un . The visit took place two days before the death of the then ruler and was his last official act.
Pyongyang circus
The Pyongyang Circus, like most of the rest of the road construction, was completed in 1989 and opened on May 1st, Labor Day . It is located south on the road in the district of Chukjon-dong.
The circus is the venue of the North Korean State Circus. The building covers a total area of 70,000 square meters and has five halls. It has a capacity for 3500 visitors. The hexagonal floor plan of the three main halls is characteristic of the building with the green roofs.
Mangyongdae Student Palace
The Mangyongdae Student Palace is located at the beginning of the Kwangbok residential area and the driveway to Heroic Youth Street . What is striking about the building is its shape, the two wings of which encircle a representative forecourt, as well as the fountain system and the bronze statue that depicts a chariot driven by children from Kwangbok Street .
The Schülerpalast is a public education and training facility for children to study sporting and artistic activities. The Children's Flower Garden of April 15th is on the opposite side of the street . April 15th is celebrated as the day of the sun in North Korea .
Others
Kwangbok Road forms part of the Pyongyang Marathon .
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Sights in Pyongyang ( Memento of the original from January 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. nordkorea-info.de
- ^ Philipp Meuser (Ed.): Architectural Guide Pyongyang. Volume 2: Background and Comments. DOM publishers, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86922-126-7 , p. 113.
- ↑ a b c d Philipp Meuser (Ed.): Architectural Guide Pyongyang. Volume 1: Photos and Descriptions. DOM publishers, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86922-126-7 , p. 14.
- ↑ Italian restaurant naenara.com.kp
- ↑ The Pyongyang fiber optic cable factory naenara.com.kp
- ^ Philipp Meuser: Architectural Guide Pyongyang. Volume 1, DOM publishers, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86922-126-7 , p. 86.
- ↑ Kwangbok Supermarket Opens ( Memento of the original from January 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ On-site instructions for a supermarket in the Kwangbok residential area ( Memento of the original from July 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. nordkorea-info.de
Coordinates: 39 ° 1 ′ 15.6 ″ N , 125 ° 40 ′ 4.7 ″ E