Gyeonghui Palace (in Korean: ''Gyeonghuigung'', literally ''Palace of Serene Harmony'') is a palace located in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. It was one of the "

Five Grand Palaces 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awar ...

" built by the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

History

Construction began in the 1600s during the reign of

King Gwanghaegun Gwanghae-gun or Prince Gwanghae (4 June 1575 – 7 August 1641), personal name Yi Hon (Hangul: 이혼, Hanja: 李琿), was the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. As he was deposed in a coup d'état, he did not receive a temple name. ...

. In the latter Joseon period, Gyeonghuigung served as the secondary palace for the king, and as it was situated on the west side of Seoul, it was also called ''Seo-gwol'' (西闕, a palace of the west). The secondary palace is usually the palace where the King moves to in times of emergency. From

King Injo Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, ...

to King Cheoljong, about ten kings of Joseon dynasty stayed here at Gyeonghuigung. This palace was built using the slanted geography of the surrounding mountain, has traditional beauty in its architecture and a lot of historical significance. For a time, it was of a considerable size, even to the point of having an arched bridge connecting it to

Deoksugung palace Deoksugung, also known as Gyeongun-gung, Deoksugung Palace, or Deoksu Palace, is a walled compound of palaces in Seoul that was inhabited by members of Korea's Royal Family during the Joseon monarchy until the annexation of Korea by Japan ...

. For the king's royal audience, there were the Sungjeongjeon and Jajeongjeon buildings, and for sleeping, Yungbokjeon and Hoesangjeon buildings. Most of Gyeonghuigung was lost to two fires that broke out in the 19th century, during the reigns of King Sunjo and King Gojong. The Japanese dismantled what remained of the palace during their occupation of the Korean peninsula, and a school for Japanese citizens was built on the site. Two major structures of the former palace — the Sungjeongjeon throne hall and the Heunghwamun gate — were disassembled and moved to other parts of Seoul. Reconstruction started in the 1990s as part of the South Korean government's initiative to rebuild the "

" that were heavily destroyed by the Japanese. However, due to urban growth and decades of neglect, the government was only able to reconstruct around 33% of the former Palace.

Architecture

Heunghwamun

Heunghwamun () is the main entrance door to the palace. The entrance was built in 1616, but it was briefly moved to be a entrance for the after the destruction of the palace, and later used as a main entrance for the Silla Hotel of Jangchung-dong until it was finally restored to its original purpose. Heunghwamun is designated as Municipal Treasure 19.

Geuncheongyo

Geuncheongyo () is a bridge at the route passed through the Heunghwamun. It was built in 1619, but was buried into soil during Japanese rule until it was restored in 2001.

Sungjeongjeon

Sungjeongjeon () is the main hall of the palace. It was built in 1616 but was moved to

Dongguk University Dongguk University (Korean: 동국대학교, Hanja: 東國大學校) is a private, coeducational university in South Korea, fundamentally based on Buddhism. Established in 1906 as Myeongjin School (명진학교; 明進學校) by Buddhist pioneers ...

in 1926 and repurposed as a buddhist temple in Japanese colonial times, and moved back to original location and renovated between 1988–1994. Its considered an example of mid-joseon period architecture. Sungjeongjeon is designated as Municipal Treasure 20.

Jajeongjeon

Jajeongjeon () is a hall restored following depictions in '.

Taenyeongjeon

Taenyeongjeon () is a hall restored following depictions in ''Seogwoldoan''.

Present use

It is Historic Site No. 271. In the palace grounds today are the

Seoul Museum of History Seoul Museum of History is a history museum located in Sinmunno 1 ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Seoul was the capital of the Joseon Dynasty, and the Museum depicts the evolution from its prehistoric period to the city it is today. It illu ...

and The Seoul Museum annex of art. It also housed Prada's

Transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

in 2009.

References

External links

Official guide from Cultural Heritage AdministrationVisit Seoul informationSeoul Museum of Art

The Seoul Guide : Gyeonghuigung Palace
Jongno District Palaces in South Korea Royal residences in South Korea Buildings and structures in Seoul History of Seoul Tourist attractions in Seoul {{SouthKorea-struct-stub