"Let's go! An architectural tour that reads world history!"
Culture, technology, politics, society, and economy of each era
Understanding architecture in an easy and fun way
Hidden historical stories inside and outside the building, with rich photos.

Although we are more connected to the world than ever before, understanding world history as a whole remains challenging.
This is because, in addition to having to digest a vast amount of information about each era, region, and social structure, it is also necessary to select and access objective, unbiased data based on facts.
So, why not study world history through architecture? Buildings often serve as symbols and landmarks for cities.
When it comes to France, it's the Eiffel Tower in Paris; when it comes to Italy, it's the Colosseum in Rome or the Leaning Tower of Pisa; when it comes to South Korea, it's the Sungnyemun Gate in Seoul. Architecture is the icon that most clearly defines the image of a country or city.
In other words, it allows you to learn about the city's history without having to go there in person.


"World History Through 50 Buildings" is a liberal arts book that contains a novel combination of architecture and world history written by author Taejong Jeong, who worked as a dentist before falling in love with architecture and becoming an architecture professor.
It selects 50 architectural examples from ancient Western and Eastern societies, modern and contemporary societies, and explains the history and culture of the time.
Especially in the modern society section, we included many of our country's architectural structures that can be seen in person.
Readers will be able to naturally absorb knowledge of world history through this book, which includes abundant photographs, while taking a 'tour through the world of architectural corners of the room.'

Understanding world history through architecture is an adventure because it is a different approach from conventional methods.
But as always, there are things you don't get without taking risks.
Architecture is closely connected to and reflects the social conditions of the time.
Therefore, we can understand world history from a new perspective and in a different way than before.

--- From "Starting the Story"

The Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations have had a great influence on Western society and are closely related to it, and the architectural structures that symbolize them are the 'pyramids' and 'ziggurat'.
These buildings are very similar in form, despite the distance between them and their direct influence.
This type of pyramid shape is easy to build tall and large without any special design or materials, so many similar ruins have been built in civilizations around the world.
Let's take a look at the most artificial geometric structures and the first civilization that created them.

--- From "Ancient Civilizations: Egyptian and Mesopotamian Civilizations"

The Palace of Versailles is the royal palace of Louis XIV in Versailles, a city outside Paris, France.
(…) Originally a summer residence, it was the center of power during the Ancien Régime (the period of absolute monarchy before the French Revolution) when Louis XIV moved his residence from the Louvre Palace in Paris to Versailles in 1682, and until the royal family returned to the capital in 1789.
The Palace of Versailles is a representative example of Baroque architecture, and is famous for its luxurious buildings, vast and beautiful French-style gardens, 1,400 fountains, and over 700 rooms, especially the Hall of Mirrors.
This room is 73 meters long and has walls and ceilings made of Venetian mirrors. It is decorated with the fleur-de-lis, a symbol of France from the mid-12th century (a picture or letter representing a country, group, or household).
It is also where the Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended World War I in 1919, was signed.

--- From "Baroque and Rococo: Distorted Pearl and Shell Decorations"

China has a long history and many buildings representing each era.
Among them, the building that represents Chinese thought is undoubtedly the Temple of Heaven.
The Temple of Heaven is a building located in the southeast of Beijing, where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices to heaven and prayed for a good harvest.
Completed in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, it is currently the largest ancient ceremonial building preserved in China.
Emperors of all ages regarded performing ancestral rites as an important activity for maintaining imperial rule, and mobilized a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources for this purpose.

--- From "Chinese Thought: The Heaven is Round and the Earth is Square"

Our country's traditional villages were planned using the natural terrain, unlike the uniformly formed geometric checkerboard patterns of China.
Here, we followed the 'Baesanimsu' pattern, with the mountain at the back and the water in the front.
Representative traditional villages, Yangdong Village in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Hahoe Village in Andong-si, are living spaces and living heritages where the traditional culture, customs, and systems of Koreans are still preserved.
It was also registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

--- From "A place with a mountain behind and a river in front: a traditional Korean village"

The Ark Church is a series of four art galleries and buildings named after water, wind, stone, and earth, designed by Jun Itami, and is also called the Church of the Empty.
That is, it is the church of heaven.
The architect pondered over how to harmoniously integrate the upper part of the building with the sky, and completed a form that reflects the color of the sky on the roof.
(…) He was also the first to introduce the concept of ‘local architecture’, which is a harmony between Jeju’s local culture, people, and space, including water and sky.
Additionally, the unique characteristics of the Ark Church were emphasized by contrasting concrete, a representative modern building material, with natural materials such as earth, stone, metal, glass, and wood.
The texture of these materials elevated the building into a work of art.

--- From "Building on Philosophy: Architectural Phenomenology"