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Published: July 27th 2010
(Panoramic of a big courtyard; on the left is the gate to the throne room building, Injeongjeong)
Changdeokgung
Changdeok Palace complex was lots of fun. There are two royal palace complexes within a fifteen minute walk from Insadong. We chose to go to Changdeokgung because it also has a garden inside it, known as the Secret Garden (Biwon). However it was so large that we only had the energy to check out the main buildings. It cost ₩3000 each to enter the palace.
First I’ll give you a little history lesson on the complex. Conveniently this was written on the back or our tickets:
(Words in
italics are directly quoted, the rest I’ve added.)
The palace was constructed in 1405, the fifth year of King Taejong (r. 1400-1418). Taejon was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea which lasted from 1392-1897. (The Joseon Dynasty was the first large kingdom to make Seoul their capital).
It was the secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung, the main palace. (This is other palace I mentioned above)
All of the palace buildings were destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasion of 1592. Changdeokgung was restored in 1610 and served as the main palace for 270 years until Gyeongbokgung was finally reconstructed in 1868. Changdeokgung is relatively well-preserved and is representative of Korean Palace architecture.
... The Changdeokgung Palace complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 1997 for its outstanding architecture and a design that is in harmony with the landscape.
The main entrance is awesomely huge. Once through you enter into a fairly large courtyard type area, with an old canal running through the middle, no water though, only stone.
The following information was gathered on information plaques in Changdeokgung, again anything in italics is not mine.
We continued through a large courtyard into the throne room building area, called Injeongjeon.
It is the main palace hall where the king and officials would gather for conferences and to receive foreign envoys. In front of the hall, rebuilt in 1609, was an area of symbolic value with a royal walkway and a courtyard on which stone markers inscribed with the ranks of each court official stood. The next area we went to is called Seonjeongjeon.
This is where the king worked at his convenience to discuss state affairs with high-ranking officials. I was build to the east of the Throne Hall (Injeongjeon). Various assemblies including daily morning meetings, reports on national affairs and state seminars were held here. A narrow colonnaded area surrounding the hall was used for secretaries and for storage. This is the only existing palace building with a blue-tiled roof. Seonjeongjeon Hall once served as a royal shrine during royal funerals...
Continuing on we entered the king and queen’s residence called Daejojeon.
It contained separate floor-heated rooms for the king and queen, and a gathering hall in between. Royal banquets were also held here. This building was witness to a great tragedy as it was here that the Joseon Dynasty held its last cabinet meeting to deliberate on the annexation of Korea by Japan. Annex buildings are connected by colonnaded corridors. When Daejojeon was destroyed by fire in 1917, the existing building was reconstructed with materials removed from the queen’s quarters at Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was used as a residence for the last empress of Joseon until after the liberation of Korea. At the rear of the hall is an elevated floor from which a four-terraced garden can be viewed. After this we kept going but I got lazy taking pictures of plaques so I don’t remember what the rest of the buildings are exactly. You’ll notice a few buildings that are use a darker colour scheme. These were built by one of the princes if I remember correctly who enjoyed Chinese style architecture more than Korean. Don’t quote me on that... though.
By late afternoon we were very tired. Changdeokgung is filled with twisting walkways that can keep you busy for hours. Next time we go we are definitely checking out the Secret Garden out back. It is much bigger (acreage wise) than the Palace, and we were tired. It also costs an additional fee to enter, which is kind of a pain. Anyways... that’s our trip to Changdeokgung palace... it was lots of fun, very tiring, but fun. Check out all the pretty photos.
Oh, and Rachel and I are heading to Jeju Island tomorrow for our summer vacation, so check back soon to read some more, and browse some pictures!
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joseph
non-member comment
palace
i like the rock!