Step Back in Time at Deoksugung Palace: A Must-Visit Heritage Site in Seoul
Deoksugung, previously called 'Gyeongungung', is the major royal palace of 'Daehan Empire' which was proclaimed in 1897
The historic Deoksugung Palace was not originally a royal palace.
Originally the home of Prince Wolsan (1454-1488), King Seongjong's brother, it was used as a royal palace in 1593, as the palace was completely burned down during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592. King Seonjo evacuated to Uiju, returned to Hanyang, and stayed at Deoksugung Palace. After succeeding King Seonjo in 1608, Gwanghaegun changed the title of Haenggung Palace to Gyeongunggung Palace in 1611 and used it as a royal palace for seven years, before moving it to Changdeokgung Palace in 1615. In 1618, the honor of King Inmokbi was abolished, and Gyeongunggung Palace was lowered to Seogung. It has been used as a separate palace for 270 years since Gwanghaegun was deposed in 1623 due to King Injo's rebellion, and King Injo moved to Changdeokgung Palace after he ascended to the throne here. In 1897, Emperor Gojong was in the Russian official residence and later returned to use this place as a royal palace, from which time it was called Gyeongunggung Palace again and its scale expanded again. And after abdicating to King Sunjong in 1907 and moving the palace to Changdeokgung Palace, Emperor Gojong stayed here, and from this time on, it was called Deoksugung Palace to pray for the longevity of Emperor Gojong. For this reason, some argue that the original name Gyeongung Palace should be used these days. Although there were many buildings in the past at Deoksugung Palace, the only remaining buildings in the 18,635-pyeong compound are Daehanmun, Junghwajeon, Gwangmyeongmun, Seokeodang, Junming, i.e., Jodang, Hamnyeongjeon, Deokhongjeon, and Seokjojeon. Deoksugung Palace was the place where the March 1 Independence Movement was triggered, especially when it was known that King Gojong, the unfortunate emperor of the late Joseon Dynasty, was forced to abdicate under Japanese pressure and spent the rest of his life, and died on January 22, 1919, after being poisoned by the Japanese at Hamnyeongjeon Hall in Deoksugung Palace.
* Daehanmun - Daehanmun is the current main gate of Deoksugung Palace. The original name of the gate was Daeanmun, an eastern gate of the palace. Daeanmun was rebuilt in 1906 and given the name Daehanmun. The signboard was written by Nam Jeong-cheol, who served as a member of the Hansung Panyun at the time.
* Gwangmyeongmun - This gate is the main gate of Hamnyeongjeon Hall, the king's burial site, which was burned down in the same year in 1904 in the eighth year of Gwangmu. In 1938, when the Seokjojeon Hall was opened as an art museum, the bell of Heungcheonsa Temple in Jeongdong and the Jagalu Pavilion at the Borugak Pavilion in Changdeokgung Palace were moved to their current location.
* Seokjojeon - This is the place where foreign envoys were interviewed during the Korean Empire. Construction of the stone building started in the 4th year of Gwangmu (1900) and was completed in the 3rd year of Yoonghee (1909), and it was the last large-scale building built in the Joseon Dynasty. The exterior of the building follows the neoclassical style popular in Europe in the early 19th century, and the upper part of the pillar in the front is treated in an Ionian style, and the interior is decorated with a Rococo style. The entire floor is on the 3rd floor, and the first floor is used as an interview place and the semi-basement is used as a waiting place for servants, and the emperor lives on the 2nd floor. After liberation from Japan's colonial rule, it was used as a meeting room for the U.S. Joint Committee, a National Museum, a National Museum of Contemporary Art, and an exhibition hall for royal relics.
* Hamnyeongjeon Hall - Hamnyeongjeon Hall, designated as a treasure, was built in 1897 and has been restored in the same year as King Gojong, who was destroyed by a fire in 1904. King Gojong died at this Hamnyeongjeon Hall on January 21, 1919. After that, the empty place was placed with furniture, paintings, and fixtures that were used at the time to recreate the life of the court more than 100 years ago.
* The Chinese Exhibition - With the armistice of the 帝 of Korea, the 26th king of the Joseon Dynasty (1852-1919), King Gojong (1863-1907), can have a glimpse of his confidence in the construction of a modern state. In particular, if you look at the closed house just above the Eojwa (御座) inside the palace, you can see a pair of dragons, which are the same pattern as the dragon on the ceiling of the palace, showing that Deoksugung was the imperial palace of the emperor of the Korean Empire. The remaining Chinese Exhibition Hall was built as a middle-story building in 1902, but was rebuilt as a single-story building in 1906 after being destroyed by fire in 1904.
* Jungmyeongjeon - Jungmyeong 殿 is an imperial library built from 1897 to 1901 designed by Russian architect Seredin Sabatin. With two stories above ground and one basement level, it was initially called Suokheon (漱玉軒). After being restored in December 2009, it has been open to the public as an exhibition hall ("Jungmyeongjeon Hall, Deoksugung Palace, where the fate of the Korean Empire was divided") since August 2010.
* In addition, there are Seokeodang, Jundang, Jwodang, Jeonggwanheon, Deokhongjeon, and Borugak Jagalu.
Please refer to the link below for more information
Source: Korea Tourism Organization
Comments
Post a Comment