Oil Tank Culture Park

Culture Storage Base, surrounded by Maebongsan Mountain near Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, is a cultural park that has returned to the citizens through urban regeneration of the Mapo Oil Storage Base, an industrial-era heritage that was strictly controlled for public access and use. After the 1973 oil crisis, five tanks were built between 1976 and 1978 to store 69.07 million liters of oil, enough for Seoul citizens to consume for about a month at the time. The Mapo Oil Storage Base was closed for safety reasons ahead of the 2002 World Cup. After failing to find a use for over a decade, a citizen idea contest in 2013 led to the decision to transform it into Culture Storage Base. The tanks that once stored oil have changed roles to become cultural tanks that create diverse culture daily instead of oil. The original five tanks have been transformed into open cultural spaces, and T6, made from dismantled tank steel plates, has become a community space for citizens. The empty outdoor area was turned into a cultural yard where children can play, and the existing trees on the site were preserved as much as possible, with various flowers and trees planted to create a park. The space that once represented the industrialization era centered on oil and construction has been reborn as an ecological cultural park focused on eco-friendliness, regeneration, and culture. Various cultural events, including markets, exhibitions, performances, and workshops, are held here.