서울 방문 – 궁전 (My Visit to Seoul – Palaces)

The first palace on the list was the largest. I think I spent about 6-7 hours here as there was so much to see.

The palace is called Gyeongbokgung. It is also known as the northern palace owing to its location comparable to the other palaces. The palace itself is the largest of all the palaces.

It was built in 1395 for the King of the Joseon dynasty and lasted until the Imjin War with Japan in 1592 – 1598.

The restoration of the palace did not commence until around 1867 under the direction of Heungseondaewongun during the reign of King Gojong.

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion and Hyangwonjeong Pond are the two parts of this palace and ground that remained relatively intact – it was closed for reconstruction when I was there.

On the eastern side of the palace is the National Folk Museum of Korea.

Below are some of my favourite pictures from this palace.

The next palace on my list was Deoksugung. This was one of the smaller palaces and I spent around 3 hours here (not including the changing of the guard ceremony).

This palace was originally under the ownership of Wolsandaegun. Wolsandaegun was the older brother of King Seongjong.

When Gwanghaegun ascended to the throne, he gave the official name of the palace as Gyeongungung. This name took effect in 1611. For the next few decades, it alternated between being an official palace and a temporary residence.

The name Deoksugung took effect in 1907. The current palace is a shadow of its former self.

When you enter the palace through Daehanmun gate, you pass over the wide bridge of Geumcheon Stream. This is where the king’s carriage would have passed too.

Seokjojeon Hall is a western style building that was built on the palace grounds. It was started by a Briton in 1905 for his company before it was transferred to Japanese ownership. It was completed in 1910 and after the death of Gojong, it became a Japanese art gallery that was open to the public.

Below is the full changing of the guard ceremony (video is 12:54)

Below are some of my favourite pictures from this palace.

The next visit was not a palace as such but more of a garden and a shrine. I wasn’t feeling the best today so it was a quick visit to the shrine and the guided tour and then back off to the flat for some much needed rest.

Jongmyo Shrine was used as a place of worship for the kings during the Joseon dynasty.

Jongmyo Jaerye is a ceremony that is noted to be the oldest complete ceremony in the world and is carried out in obedience to the order of the king.

In 1995, UNESCO designated the shrine as a World Cultural Heritage Site owing to the well preserved ancient customs – this includes memorial services and traditional music.

During the Joseon dynasty, this memorial service was held multiple times a year – during the changing of the seasons and the twelfth month of the lunar year.

In modern times, it is held on the first Sunday of May. This re-enactment includes instruments, songs and dances that originated 500 years ago.

Below are some of my favourite pictures from the shrine.

I decided that I would visit the last of the 2 palaces on the same day as they were right next to each other and weren’t very big.

The first of the last two was Changdeokgung.

Changdeokgung was the second royal villa built after Gyeongbokgung. This was in 1405.

Many of the kings of the Joseon dynasty used this palace as the principal palace.

The grounds of this palace are comprised of a public palace area, royal family residence building and a rear garden. The rear garden was known as the place of rest for the kings and boasts a 300+ year old tree, a pavilion and a pond.

The palace gained notoriety from the time of King Seongjong when it was used as a place of residence. The palace was burned down in 1592. It was burned down by angry residents after the royal family fled during the Japanese invasion.

Gwanghaegun helped restore the palace in 1611.

The rear garden was constructed during the reign of King Taejong and was used as a resting place for the royal family members.

The garden has been known as Bukwon, Geumwon and Biwon (renamed to this by King Kojon). Buyongjeong, Buyongji, Juhabru, Eosumun, Yeonghwadang, Bullomun, Aeryeonjeong, and Yeongyeongdang are some of the many fountains and pavilions that are in the garden.

UNESCO designated this as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1997.

Below are some of my favourite pictures from the palace.

The last palace I visited was Changgyeonggung.

It was built by King Sejong for his father King Taejong. It often served as residence for queens and concubines.

During King Seongjong’s reign, it was renamed to Changgyeonggung. It later became a garden with a zoo during the colonial rule of Japan.

Past the entrance of Changgyeonggung Palace – the Honghwa Gate – is Okcheongyo Bridge. All palaces of the Joseon Dynasty have ponds with an arch bridge over them, just like Okcheongyo Bridge. If you cross Okcheongyo Bridge and pass the Myeongjeongmun Gate, you will find Myeonjeongjeon.

This is the office of the king and Myeongjeongjeon is the oldest of the Joseon Dynasty palaces. The houses face southwards, but Myeongjeongjeon faces east. Because the ancestral shrine of the royal family is located to the south, the gate couldn’t face the south as is required by Confucian custom. There are stones with the status of the officials carved on the yard.

Behind Myeongjeongjeon on the upper left side is Sungmundang. This building utilizes the slope of the mountain. If you look at Myeongjeongjeon and Munjeongjeon, the combination of the high and low roofs offer a beautiful view.

Tongmyeongjeon was built for the queen. It is the biggest building in Changgyeonggung Palace, and you can recognize the delicate details of its structure in various parts of the building. Walk up the stones past Tongmyeongjeon and there you will find Jagyeongjeon. On the southeast direction of the Jagyeongjeon is the Punggidae.

This Punggidae is a measuring instrument. It is a long pole with a cloth hung at the end used to check the speed and direction of the wind. If you head north there is a large pond called Chundangji. Half of the pond was originally a rice field that the king took care of. During the Japanese occupation, the rice field was changed to a pond with little ships floating on it.

Below are some of my favourite pictures from the palace.