Changdeokgung, sometimes called Changdeok Palace in English, is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built in Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty, and was the second of them to be built, construction having begun in October 1404 and completed in 1412; King Sejo's 1463 reconstruction took it to its current size of 580,000 square meters. Like the other palaces, it was destroyed by Japanese forces in the Imjin Invasion of 1592, but was rebuilt a decade later, by Kings Sonjo and Kwanghaegun. In 1609, when reconstruction finished, it would become the chief palace of the Dynasty until the reconstruction of the nearby Gyeongbokgung in 1872, and was the final residence of Korea's last king, King Sunjong.
The palace is today the best preserved of the Joseon palaces and is singular in its unique, sprawlingly asymmetrical grounds built on a series of hills, which are lush with centuries-old trees and ponds. It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997; in South Korea it is designated Historic Site no. 122. Portions of the palace were used to film the extremely popular 2003 drama Daejanggeum (대장금, 大長今).
[edit] Grounds
The grounds of the palace, which make a shape on the map that looks strikingly like Africa, are mostly taken up by forested hills, with most of the buildings concentrated within a five-minute walk of the main entrance. There are some 52 points of interest noted on the official maps; the highlights are presented here. A full tour of the palace would take well over two hours to complete.
[edit] Donhwamun
Donhwamun (돈화문), designated National Treasure no. 338, is the main gate of the palace and the oldest of the several which exist, still standing after its 1609 reconstruction. After walking through the gates a visitor faces two paths -- one leading north past a few buildings towards the Gyeongchumun (경춘문) gate, and one going east over the river, which is the path the tours take. A walk over the river has you cross the Geumcheongyo (금천교) bridge, which is the oldest bridge in Seoul.
[edit] Injeongjeon
Stepping through the gate after the bridge brings you to a small courtyard, where the tour will take you north through the Injeongmun gate (인정문) and into the courtyard of the Injeongjeon Hall (인정전; pictured above), which was the main throne hall and the site of all major activity in the palace. Destroyed twice by fire, both by the Imjin Invasion and most recently in 1804, the current building has stood since 1805. The stones in the courtyard served as markers to place civil and military officers during official ceremonies, such as those for the changing of the seasons and the reception of foreign envoys.
[edit] Seonjeongjeon and Huijeongdang
Just east of Injeongjeon are these two halls, which were used as offices for the king and, in the case of Huijeongdang, as bedchambers for the royal family. The original Seonjeongjeon was added to the palace in 1461 but suffered from a number of fires before its ultimate destruction in the Imjin Invasion, and the current building was erected nearly 50 years later in 1647. Seonjeongjeon is notable for being the palace's only building to have a blue-tiled roof; the rest all use grey. Huijeondang has electricity, a heavily western-influenced interior, and an automobile driveway at the south entrance.
[edit] Daejojeon
This hall, adjunct to the north side of Huijeongdang, was the official residence of the queen; it was burned in the 1917 fire and reconstructed three years later in 1920. The interior is notable for its western-influenced design and electricity.
[edit] Nakseonjae area
This area, the former East Palace and residence of the crown prince, is now home to three buildings -- Nakseonjae (낙선재), Seokbokheon (석족헌), and Sugangjae (수강재), all of which were used at various times as residence for royal family members. Nakseonjae was built in 1847 asa villa for the king to relax; it was the last of the palace's buildings to serve as a residence for the royal family, with Lady Yi Bang-ga having made it her home until her death in 1989. The middle building, Seokbokheon, was built in 1848 for Royal Lady Gyeongbin so that she could live with both King Heonjong, who was then living in Nakseonjae, and his grandmother Queen Sunwon, who was then living in Sugangjae. Sugangjae was built in 1785 and is notable for the Chwiunjeong pavilion behind it, which was built in 1686.
The Nakseonjae area is only accessible on the Thursday tours.
Biwon (비원, 秘園) meaning "secret garden", was built in 1623 and was originally called Huwon (후원, 後園) meaning "back garden". The Buyongji pond (부용지), the first of three, in the garden was constructed to symbolize the Joseon conception of the universe, with the square pond standing for the Earth, which was believed to be square, with the small round island in it standing for the sky, which was believed to be round. Looming over the north side of the pond is the two-story Juhamno pavilion (주함노), where the royal library (Guyanggak, 구양각) an archives were stored. It was built in 1776, the same year King Jeongjo ascended to the throne. Juhamno's courtyard was used for the "palace test, the final portion of the civil service exam.
[edit] Aeryeonji
Just a bit north of Biwon, this second pond is called Aeryeonji (애련지), meaning "love of lotus", and is of an unknown age though it is known that the pavilion was erected in 1692. The stone gate at the side of the pond, Bullomun (불로문), meaning "Gate of Everlasting Youth", was built to represent prayers for the king's continued good health.
[edit] Jondeokjeong
The last of the palace's ponds is square in shape with a pavilion on each side. Jondeokjeon (존덕정) is the oldest, built in 1644; the others are of indeterminate age but believed to date to no earlier than sometime in the 19th century.
[edit] Ongnyucheon
Located at the far north end of the palace grounds, Ongnyucheon (옹뉴천) is a tiny waterfall which forms the source of the pond at the secret garden to the south. The waterfall is manmade, and is surrounded by five pavilions.
[edit] Visitor information
- Hours: The palace is closed on Mondays. All other days it is open from 9:15 am until approximately 4:30. On most days it is required to take the tour (see below) but Thursday admission, when the tour is not required, is open from 9:15 am to 6:30 pm.
- Admission: General admission is 3,000 won for adults, 1,500 for teens and kids, and free those under 6, over 65, and registered veterans.
- Tours: Tours are available in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese. Each tour lasts 80 minutes and you may not lag behind or stay after. The general admission tour will take you to most of the palace grounds, but the precise path can vary and some sites are only visited by the Thursday tours. A few areas are off-limits to all tours.
- Korean: 15 minutes and 45 minutes past every hour. The times change slightly with the seasons.
- English: 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30.
- Japanese:
- March -- October: 9:30, 10:30, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30
- November -- February: 9:30, 10:30, 2:30
- Chinese: 11:00, 3:00
- How to get there: Two minutes straight ahead from Exit 3 of Anguk Station on line 3, or ten minutes from Exit 6 of Jongno 3-ga Station on lines 1 and 5. To arrive by bus, you can take the 109, 151, 161, 171, 172, or 272. If you choose to drive there is free, but quite small, parking lot.
- Address: 1 Waryong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-360
- Telephone: 02) 762 8261~2 / 9513
- Fax: 02) 762 2070
[edit] External links
[edit] Gallery
