Seoul City Wall. Hanyangdoseong

In my opinion Seoul is the one of the unique cities where are combined old and modern well-balanced architectures so you can enjoy new places and visit historical spots to learn more about traditions and culture of Korea. 

 

One place that I was visited a few days ago with the help of Funday Korea Networks is Hanyangdoseong Tour (the Seoul City Wall Tour). 

 

Hanyangdoseong was built to safeguard Hanyang (the old name of Seoul), the capital of the Joseon Dynasty, and to demark the city's boundary. It served as a city wall for 514 years (1396-1910), longer than any other city walls in the world. 

 

 

The name of one of the main gate is Heunginjimun Gate. It is the East Gate of Hanyangdoseong. The current Heunginjimun Gate was completed in 1869 (6th year of King Gojong's reign).  

 

 

Hanyangdoseong has four main gates and four small gates. The four main gates erected in the east, west, south and north of Seoul were named with the four letters of in (benevolence), ui (righteousness), ye (propriety) and ji (wisdom), respectively, to reflect Confucian virtues. 

 

 

The main gate in the east was called Heunginmun Gate. It is said that the letter "ji" was specially inserted on the name board to reinforce the energy of the flat land in front of the gate. Heunginmun Gate, together with Sungnyemun Gate, is one of the two largest gates in Seoul. A stone archway was made in the retaining wall linked to the city wall and a wooden pavilion was constructed on it, which constituted the gate. 

 

 The two-story pavilion structure can only be found in Sungnyemun Gate and Heunginjimun Gate among the gates in Seoul. The pavilion was where the commander stayed to guard the gate, and it was also used as a command post in times of emergency. Brick parapets and windows made of wooden plates were installed outside the pavilion to safeguard the city. The pavilion of Heunginjimun Gate clearly shows the architectural characteristics of the 19th century which include a simple structural assembly and various decorations. In addition, Ongseong, a semi-circular chemise wall, was built in front of the gate to reinforce its defensive capacity, which can only be found in this gate in Seoul. 

Walking along the Wall you can notice that wall is constructed in different types through the ages. 

• Wall construction during the reign of King Taejo (1396). 

The wall was completed in two separate projects, in January and August of 1396. The stone sections of the wall were built on mountainous terrain, and the rammed earth sections were built on flat ground. Natural stones were roughly dressed for construction of the wall.  

• Wall construction during the reign of King Sejong (1422) 

In January of 1422, the rammed earth sections were replaced by a wall of natural stones chiseled into kernel shapes. 

• 
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Wall construction during the reign of King Sukjong (1704)

The stones used in the rebuilding of the wall were shaped to standardized dimensions of 40-45 cm in length and width, making the wall stronger than before. 

• Wall construction during the reign of King Sunjo (1800)

Square (60cm*60cm) stone blocks were used to built the wall. Stone blocks with inscriptions can be seen along the parapets. Research into the inscriptions is ongoing. 

The Wall measures between 5 and 8 m high and is 18.6 km long. 

I recommend to visit this place by walking in order to get unforgettable experience making a shift over time.