Two 'Premium Urban Ecological Arboretums' in Suwon to Open in May

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon City announced on the 15th that two 'premium urban ecological arboretums'—Ilwol Arboretum and Younghung Arboretum—will open in May.

Ilwol Arboretum is located within Ilwol Park in Cheoncheon-dong, Jangan-gu in the western Suwon area, spanning 101,500㎡. Seven years after establishing its basic plan in 2015, Ilwol Arboretum was completed in December last year and consists of eight themed gardens including an exhibition greenhouse showcasing Mediterranean plants, a wetland garden incorporating aquatic plants, and a decorative garden where flowers bloom throughout all four seasons.

It serves as Suwon City's 'ecological landmark arboretum,' playing a public role in systematic plant collection and research, ecological conservation, and ecological education.

Ilwol Arboretum is a 'citizen-participatory arboretum' created together with residents. In March 2019, a citizen discussion forum was held under the theme 'Suwon Citizens Create an Arboretum,' gathering citizen opinions, and that same year a 'communication box' was operated within Ilwol Park to collect opinions from about 1,000 citizens. Citizen feedback was reflected in the design.

Younghung Arboretum is located in the Woncheon-dong area of Yeongtong-gu in eastern Suwon, spanning 146,000㎡. It was developed as a garden-style arboretum while maximally preserving existing mountainous terrain including cultivated rice paddies, ponds, and forests, as well as the natural ecosystem environment.

It features themed gardens including Hydrangea Garden, Grass Garden, Rock Garden, Japanese Maple Garden, Rice Paddy, and Wetland Flower Garden. Approximately 1,000 species of trees and flowers are planted, allowing visitors to appreciate the changing appearance of the forest with each season.

Information about Ilwol and Younghung Arboretums can be found on the Suwon Arboretum website (https://www.suwon.go.kr/arbor).