Serene Gyeonghuigung Palace

Gyeonghuigung Palace (경희궁)

Gyeonghuigung Palace is located in Sodaemun District and is very close to Deoksugung Palace in Seoul.

I know this palace quite well because we use to take a walk around it right after our lunch. This palace is small but it was much bigger and its land area much wider then. The whole place has been rebuilt because much of it has been destroyed and a Japanese school, Gyeongseong Middle School, was built above the ruins in 1908.

Gyeonghuigung Palace, Seoul

Since its restoration, visitors and tourist would come to see the place. Movies and TV dramas are being shoot inside the palace or around it as background. Yes, I have seen many times crews and some actors with their traditional Korean dresses and clothes getting ready for action.

Every time we have a visitor, we would usually show this place and its surroundings. One can still see the thrones for kings and queens inside the main and bigger building at the middle of the palace. It was said that there were about 100 small and large buildings in the ground of this palace. Bringing our visitor to this place with accompanying bits and pieces of historical explanations still don't bore me up until this time ^^.

What I like most in this palace is its sense of serenity. That's probably because it is located away from the main roads of the bustling Seoul life. Another reason might also because it is close to a hill that protects it from noise and gives it a great and greenish backdrop.

Actually, the literal translation for 'gyeonghuigung' means 'palace of serene harmony'.
Anyway, let's take a look a bit of Gyeonghuigung Palace's historical facts and dates.

Gyeonghuigung Palace (경희궁) Brief Historical Background

Gyeonghuigung was built in 1616. It is the least visited among Seoul's Five Grand Palaces, nevertheless it is a pretty and peaceful place worth your visit. During the Joseon Period, this palace has been used as secondary palace for the kings. Being located on the western part of Seoul, this was also known as 'seogwol' or the 'palace of the west.' It is only in times of danger and emergency that a king would use this as his secondary place of refuge or shelter.

There were about ten kings of Joseon Dynasty who took shelter at this very place, from King Injo to King Cheoljong. During the Japanese occupation, Gyeonghuigung Palace was burnt down and a school for Japanese students was built on top of it.

In the 1990s the Korean government took the initiative to reconstruct the 'Five Grand Palaces' located in Seoul area. For various reasons, it was said that only around 30 percent of this palace was rebuilt.
Gyeonghuigung was completed in the 12th year of Gwanghaegun's reign in 1620. The completed palace was composed of more than 100 halls but most got burnt down during the two separate fires, during the reign of King Sunjo in 1829 and during the reign of King Gojong. The remaining halls were destroyed during the Japanese occupation and where a Japanese school was built on the same ground instead.

When Korea was liberated in 1946, Seoul High School was built on this ground and has been used until 1978.

Since in 1985, many structures in the palace have been reconstructed including the Sungjeongjeon Hall, where you can find the thrones of the king and the queen.

Heunghwamun Gate (흥화문)

Personally, I like this gate because it looks grand and splendid. It has a high roof which is similar in style to most gates in Korea. I specially like its round and huge wooden columns that support the heavy weight of the whole roof.

Heunghwamun is the main gate of Gyeonghuigung Palace and where you can directly see the present buildings and structures of the palace's ground. The original site of this gate is just next to the Salvation Army Center facing Jongno avenue. During the road expansion in 1915, Heunghwamun was sold and planted as main of Bakmunsa (a temple) where the present Shilla Hotel is situated. This gate was returned to its present located in 1985.

Heunghwamun Gate

Other interesting places nearby

Jeongdong Road
Seoul History Arts Museum
Agricultural Museum
Rice Museum
Seoul Museum of Arts
Changdong Theater

Finding Gyeonghuigung Palace

Address: 1-126, Sinmunnu 2ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Free admission, opens from 9am to 6pm
Opens from Tuesday to Sunday only
Subway: Line 5, Exit 4 (go straight passing the Police Museum and turn left)
Website: www.jikimi.cha.go.kr

Thanks for visiting this blog. Hope this helps you find what you are looking for. If you have questions related to this subject, please let me know.

Enjoy your travels!