What tags should be attached to structures that are neither gates nor even gatehouses?

yes, more along these lines. I would suggest to avoid the term “boundary_arch” because it would restrict usage to such things placed on boundaries, while this may well be only a subset of otherwise very similar structures.

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The problem is that your refering to something that is effectively symbolic. You have tag both the object along with it represents. It may be a physical gatehouse that functions as the entrance to area of significance. It gets even stranger when those physical objects become more like stylized sculptures that actual structures with any actual function.

“Boundary arch” implies a boundary and physical arch when the object may not be associated with either one. That is why I suggested using the word “portal” since it a bridge or opening in a barrier. It is the same concept whether it is used at entrance of a city or a cultural district.

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portal is a good term (as far as I can tell from a non-native point of view)

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I just remembered this discussion from a month ago… @adreamy , which tag did you end up using?

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I don’t think portal works as you suppose, apart from use in science fiction, such as Dr Who, and the monolith in 2001 Space Odyssey, it is also used on Wikipedia. and it can mean any kind of generic opening, and is often used figuratively (“fiery portal of the East” Shakespeare Richard II) and pretentiously.

These structures seem analogous to historic=city_gate even if their function is somewhat different. Given that portal is fairly generic then we could make a virtue of that fact and adopt man_made=city_portal of which city gates would be one form.

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Do they only exist in cities? I was immediately reminded of these structures at the boundaries between provinces, that’s why I suggested boundary arch (even if they’re not always literally in the form of an arch).

I think most of us here, me included, live in areas where they don’t exist, so we have to make assumptions (is the primary purpose to mark a boundary? is the primary purpose to look pretty?). It would be helpful to know more about them. Or if the Korean community has decided on a tag, we can just document that and move on.

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I don’t suppose any working, I just see the word portal being used all around for this kind of structure. The structures do not have to mark any formal boundary. Maybe in Korea they do have a formal meaning?

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In South Korea, the legal term indicating these portals is “Arch Advertisement”. Because these man-made are typically placed at entrances of something place for advertisement. Unlike historic=city_gate, it has been installed in modern times. (primarily from the mid-2000s to the present)

Rather, in South Korea and North Korea, historic=citywalls and historic=city_gate would mean ‘읍성(邑城)’.


한국에서는 법적 용어로 '아치광고물(Arch Advertisement)'이라고 합니다. 이러한 조형물은 광고 효과를 보기 위해서 일반적으로 입구에 놓습니다. 또한 historic=city_gate와는 달리 현대(주로 2000년대 중반부터 현재까지)에 만들어졌습니다.

오히려 한국(및 북한)에서 historic=citywallshistoric=city_gate에 가까운 것은 읍성(邑城)입니다.


Examples for the "Arch Advertisement" ('아치 광고물'의 예시)

Examples for the “Arch Advertisement” ('아치 광고물’의 예시)


historic=citywalls in Seoul, South Korea: 한양도성(Fortress Wall of Seoul).


historic=city_gate in Seosan, Chungnam, South Korea: 해미읍성(Haemieupseong).

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I think you all have a point.
So it’s not easy to make a judgment.
Almost all of these structures that I’ve observed, not just in Korea, don’t necessarily correspond to boundaries.
They’re just near the boundary.
And in the cases where they do coincide with the boundary, in many cases they’re already being called something else that’s more clear.

In terms of marking the beginning of a territory, I think ‘portal’ would be good, but in terms of usage, ‘arch’ would be fine, regardless of what it looks like.
So if it’s more about marking a zone, maybe ‘portal’, and if it’s more aesthetic or as a sign or signpost, maybe ‘arch’?

In South Korea, the legal term indicating these portals is “Arch Advertisement”.

it could be a suitable tag in OpenStreetMap as well, advertising=arch
or maybe “sculpture”
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:advertising