Deoksugung Palace is one of the five Joseon Royal palaces in the heart of Seoul, Korea. It is located just across from City Hall.
#Deoksugung Palace dates back to the early #Joseon Dynasty. The place was first built in the latter half of the 1400s and was originally the residence of Prince Wolsan who was the older brother of King Seongjong. King Seongjong was the great-grandson of King Sejong, the most famous king of the Joseon Dynasty.
Above is Daehanmun, this is the current main entrance to the palace, usually, it costs money, but on special holidays it is free. Actually, it was my first time going in the palace even though I've lived here for over a decade and pass by many times. I'm glad I finally visited.
Sometimes there are parades going on in downtown Seoul, the actors are very popular with the tourists
Once you walk into the palace, you cross over a small bridge called Geumcheongyo Bridge (you can kind of see the railings in my photo), this bridge was built in 1411 and is the oldest bridge in Seoul. I crossed it no problem. Solid stone blocks tend to last.
This gate is called Gwangmyeongmum, it used to have some interesting relics under it, but now it just has some stupid AR stuff
Deoksugung was not always a royal palace because it was just a residence of a royal family member and not the king. However, during the Imjin War around 1592 all of the other palaces in Seoul were burned down by the Japanese invaders. However, Doksugung was not burnt down. King Seonjo moved here and it became an official royal palace.
This gate is called Junghwamun, you can see the main building of the palace behind it., although you can simply walk around, originally there would have been buildings around it to make this impossible.
King Gwanghaegun, who was the son of king Seonjo, was coronated in Deoksugung, however it was still officially just a residence at that time, so he renamed it Gyeongungung and it became a palace.
Here is a large courtyard area. In my opinion, it is the 3rd most impressive palace courtyard in Seoul, it could do without the tacky glass reflectors, lol.
The main hall in Deoksugung is called Jungwhajeon (hence jungwhamun gate above). This is where the Joseon Kings would have held court. Originally it was 2 stories, however, Deoksugung palace burnt down in 1904 and most of the oldest wooden buildings were rebuilt around that time.
In 1618, the main palace during the latter Joseon Dynasty, Changdeokgung, was built, Deoksugung was renamed Seogung at that time. The name stuck for nearly 300 years and the palace was no longer a very important place.
The palace has some neo-classical style buildings that date to the short-lived Korean Empire period, including some western-style gardens, build around 1900
In 1896, Emperor Gojong, the last king of Joseon dynasty, moved into the Russian legation which is next to this palace because there was some serious political turmoil in Korea. He had Deoksugung remodelled and had some newer modern buildings built by Russian and British architects. It's really obvious which buildings these are.
Here is an old fountain and British garden which looks much nicer during the summer. The building behind it is the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art,
It's kind of funny to see a modern art museum on the grounds of an ancient palace. I believe it was built by the Japanese Colonialists in 1938 long after the kings were gone. However, Deoksugung is surrounded by modern buildings and is definitely the least historic appearing palace in Seoul, even though its history is one of the most interesting because of all its weird uses throughout history.
This building on the other side of the garden is called Seokjojeon. It's also neoclassical architecture and perhaps the best example of this period in Korea. It was the official residence of Emperor Gojong. Actually, after Japan was chased out of Korea in 1945, the US and USSR armies met here and decided on the future of Korea. It's now a royal museum.
On the left we can see Junmyongdang and on the right is Jeukgodang. The left building is where king Gojong received guests and foreigner envoys. The right building is an office and it is also where two kings were crowned in Deoksugung. King Gwanghaegun was mentioned above and then his successor King Injo. Actually, King Injo burnt down Changdeokgung when attacking king Gwanghaegun during a coup, so that's why he was coronated here.
Although Deoksugung isn't nearly as crowded as the other palaces, the best views still tend to be way too crowded for my personal tastes. There are some less crowded areas behind the main buildings that the crowds tend to skip. Even though deoksugung is small compared to the two largest palaces, you can find peace here.
This building is called Seogeodang. It's the only ancient two-story building on site. This is unpainted which was common at that time (the red and green came a little later with the exception of courtyards and temples. This was the house where King Seonjo and his main wife Queen Inmok lived. Actually, she wasn't allowed to leave here for 10 years. Being a rich woman back then sucked as you could never leave the palace.
This is one of my favourite alleyways. The wall to the left is fascinating. It looks like it was added to and rebuilt a lot.
I really like the decor on this little door. It's such an interesting design. Even the script above the door is odd. It's a seal script (used for stamps). Actually, I want to find out more about this gate. I'm sure someone can tell me.
Here is Jeoggwangheon. It is a western-style gazebo. This is where the king's guests would have sat for banquets, especially during the warmer seasons. It is another one of the weird buildings that was added by emperor Gojung in the early 1900s when he lived here. He was probably entertaining a lot of foreign dignities back then because Korea was no longer a hermit kingdom.
I've shown a lot of older Korean style pavilions, so it's really neat to see one with a western-style dining table and chairs. Traditionally, Koreans sit on the floor while eating and everyone had their own small personal table. The idea of a western banquet or buffet would have been appalling to a Joseon King.
Even the roof is weird being made of green copper sheeting and having modern style eavesdrops and drains. I do really like the style though. Downtown Seoul is so modern and there is a massive gap between medieval and modern architecture. To see anything built between 1800 and 1950 is so rare.
The last building is called Deokhongjeon, this is another building where the emperor would have met visiting guests and dignitaries. It is actually the newest 'old-style' building on-site and was built around 1910 after the neoclassical buildings.
I think this is the best view of the palace from in front of Deokhongjeon. You can see the main hall and the neoclassical buildings. ALso, it's very difficult to see skyscrapers and modern buildings from this angle which isn't possible in most landscapes of Deoksugung.
Sources and More Info:
If you are interested in where I got the details, well I have a tourist pamphlet, but I also looked at a few websites.
- https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264316
- http://www.deoksugung.go.kr:8081/cms/show.asp?c_show_no=131&c_check_no=81&c_relation=686&c_relation2=1019
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deoksugung
- https://www.theseoulguide.com/sights/palaces/deoksugung-palace/
If you come to Seoul. This place is worth a visit because you can see it in 30 minutes. I'd save the other two main palaces for a day on their own and just drop by this one when in the Seoul Station or City Hall area. Palaces are very easy to find, so just go to City Hall. It's worth the $ 2 or the combined $ 5 ticket.
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