There are around
six palaces in Seoul.
I know they have: Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung,
Unhyeongung, and another one whose name I just forgot, --guigung something. The
first three along with Unhyeongung and the Jongmyo Shrine are all located at
the Jongno District in northern Seoul.
The suffix -gung means “Palace” by the way. After reading one too many info
stands I’ve come to know that most of those palaces were built because the other
was destroyed by an invading force (usually the Japanese) or the reigning
monarch just wanted a different residence for himself or his parents, etc.
“Look, Pa, we just can’t live under the same roof anymore. I’ll just build you
your own palace a few hundred meters away, okay?”
Judging from the
DIY walking tours I did, Changdeokgung seems to be the biggest since it also
contains the Secret
Garden, the guided tour
for which already covers two hours. It is also the one designated as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. Most of the structures that once stood at Gyeongbokgung
have since been transferred there. Gyeongbokgung is the one with the perfect
location right in the middle of Gwanghwamun. Changgyeonggung is linked to
Changdeokgung. Both used be just one big palace. Unhyeongung is a small palace
near Anguk station and not as grand as the others but still manages to maintain
an air of royalty. Deoksugung is located at Jung-gu, just opposite the Seoul
City Hall/Plaza south of Gwanghwamun.
Gwanghwamun is
actually the main gate of the Gyeongbokgung, hence the -mun suffix (Japanese
“-mon”, Mandarin “mén” meaning “Gate”). It’s nice to hang out at Gwanghwamun Square
because of the many sights you would see. If you walk north from Namdaemun
(currently under construction, Arson victim) you’d end up at Gwanghwamun Square, but before you do you
would pass by the Cheonggye Stream first. At the square itself you are greeted
by a monument of Admiral Yi, a Joseon Dynasty navy
commander revered by many as a hero. A few hundred meters behind him is the
giant statue of King Sejong. To his right is the US Embassy while behind him is
Gwanghwamun itself. Behind the palace is the picturesque mountain of Bugaksan.
You might want to
postpone your trip to the palaces at the latter part of the week. Two or more of them are closed either on
Mondays or Tuesdays. A DIY tour is possible if you start early in the morning (if
you would like to cover all of them). Good luck to your legs. I started
gallivanting in Seoul’s
palaces on a Wednesday, beginning with the twins Changgyeonggung and
Changdeokgung at 11 AM. Had I started my tour at around 9 AM I could have
visited Gyeongbokgung as well, and I would have been paralyzed from waist down
the next day. If you really plan on doing this make sure you have plenty of
water and comfortable footwear. There is an entrance fee ranging from 1,000 t0
3,000 won depending on the palace. Entry to the Secret Garden
is only possible via a guided tour (KRW5, 000 aside from the Changdeokgung
entrance fee) which takes two hours. I think you could do a DIY tour but only
on Thursdays. A package ticket is available at 10,000 won valid for a month
after purchase valid for all of the major palaces.
The palaces of Seoul have almost the
same layout. You have the main gate which is almost always the one to enjoy celebrity
status (ex. Gwanghwamun) and then a mini bridge over a stream flowing from the
palace lake. Gyeongbokgung and Unhyeongung do not have this bridge. I am not
sure if Gyeongbokgung did before its restoration. After the bridge is a square
followed by another gate, which leads to the biggest palace in the area. This
is usually the King’s Throne Room, in front of which is another big square with
a walkway at the center lined with stone markers for the ministers. The other
palaces in the area would most likely look the same and would function as a
meeting room for the king and his ministers, royal residences, sleeping
quarters for the palace crew, etc. There would also be pavilions and endless
gardens within the vicinity. This is why during the Japanese occupation most of
these palaces were downgraded to parks, since they are, after all, giant parks.
Lovely giant parks.
So I began with
Changgyeonggung, which was smaller than Changdeokgung, or maybe there just wasn’t
as much to see. There are side exits leading to the gardens. The one at the
east has a lake and a modern looking house built during the last decades of the
Joseon dynasty, if I am not mistaken. Wait, it looks like Changgyeonggung is
actually bigger than Changdeokgung in terms of land area, but Changdeokgung
definitely has more palaces. Anyway let us not argue about surface size.
Determining which is larger won’t solve the world’s poverty problem. Going back
to topic, still at the eastern garden is one of the kings’ Taesil. Taesil is
Korean for “placenta” or was it “umbilical cord?” Damn my memory. Anyway they
did that before, bury the placenta and make a monument above it. The palaces
are all in the middle. The western garden is boring except for one structure
that looks like a human sacrifice altar. There are a lot of trees and walking
paths, just perfect for lovely afternoon walks.
You climb some
steps up the wall and you see the entrance to Changdeokgung. Money down! The
Changdeokgung/Secret Garden combo is the most expensive of the bunch. Perhaps
the ticket price is linked to the UNESCO World Heritage site tag. It won’t
disappoint you though. The walk is long but the sight is marvelous. Changdeokgung
has the most palaces and they start to look the same after quite a while. Well,
not really. Perhaps the ones by the entrance kind of look the same, but once
you go farther inside you will see how they start to differ in terms of
structure, color, and style.
The Secret Garden
tour started at 2:30 PM. With the beauty of the said garden you really can’t
tell why it has to be kept a secret. Perhaps the title is owed to its location
deep within the palace walls. After almost two hours of walking I realized why
you need to have a guide. It would be very easy for you to get lost inside,
perhaps slip and hit your head on a pavilion, and slide unconsciously towards
the murky green lake. Never to be found again. Eek! Hahaha. The many pavilions
of the Secret Garden will get you hooked. A little
trivia from the tour guide: How did the King reach such great heights above the
hill? He rode a horse or went about being carried on a movable chair. Maybe
next time we could toss in a few thousand won extra for a movable chair too. A
very old Juniper tree from China
would greet you as you end your tour. That tree just looks so tired. You would
also be if you were around 750 years old and all you ever do is stand on one
place. At least no one dared or cared to chop you.
I went for a
little side trip at the Bukchon
Hanok Village
after my twin palaces tour. Masochist much, huh? My legs were like, “Are you
fvckin’ kidding me?” The said village was some sort of residential area for the
nobles during the Joseon period. Some of the houses were preserved as living
remnants of a bygone era. Result? Most of what have been preserved are roofs.
Some of them have kept a traditional village motif in terms of architectural
design while some have opted for a more modern approach, resulting in a rather
peculiar looking hybrid of traditional roof and modern body. Still it is nice
to look at. There are two areas where most of the said structures are grouped
together. Other than those two, many of them are scattered around the vicinity.
Another must-see is the park on top of the hill. That’s the caveat; it’s on top
of the hill. I only reached as far as the observatory before I gave up. I
wanted to just roll down that hill out of exhaustion but there were vehicles
passing by and I just wasn’t in the mood to be a hit and run victim that day.
I reserved
Gyeongbokgung for the next day. As usual I woke up late and arrived there just
in time for the changing of the guards’ ceremony. Gyeongbokgung is large too.
Now I really don’t know which is largest. Come to think of it, Gyeongbokgung
seems to be the biggest. I am confused! Within the vicinity of the palace are
two museums: the National Folk Museum of Korea and the National Palace Museum
of Korea. I still prefer the one at Lotte World, but these two are also good
venues for a quick Korean History lesson. I only tried the Folk Museum,
not that big. Gyeongbokgung has a beautiful pond full of lilies with a pavilion
on the island in the middle, connected to the garden by a bridge.
Behind
Gyeongbokgung is the Cheongwadae (Blue House) where the Korean President resides.
You need to send them your request for a tour by email at least ten days before
your intended visit. I sent mine but I never received a reply. You can take a
picture from Gyeongbokgung’s northern gate.
Unhyeongung is a
mini palace that served as an alternate residence for another king. Sorry, I
wasn’t paying attention to details. Admission is free during lunch hour (12 PM
- 1:00 PM). I was lucky enough to bump into a kind lady who happened to be the
English tour guide. She toured me around the place for free and talked a lot
about the history connected to the place. The impromptu tour was unexpected but
very much appreciated.
All I could say is
that despite their similar appearance, the palaces of Jongno-gu got me longing
for more Korean History. I am now even considering attending MA Courses
wherever I could find one. Those palaces and pavilions serve as connections to
the past. What’s awesome is that they actually give you a wave of nostalgia for
a page of history that is not really yours. It’s simply weird like that.
JONGNO-GU: 04 - The Grand Palaces of Jongno-gu
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