Hyehwamun (Hangul 혜화문, Hanja 惠化門; also known as Northeast Gate) is one of the
Eight Gates of Seoul in the
Fortress Wall of
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 of ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, which surrounded the city in 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 r ...
. The gate is also known as Dongsomun (동소문, “East Small Gate”).
History
Hyehwamun was originally built in 1396, and was originally called Honghwamun. But this name came into conflict with the east gate of
Changgyeonggung Palace
Changgyeong Palace is a palace located in Seoul, South Korea.
The palace was built in the mid-15th century by King Sejong for his father, Taejong. It was originally named "Suganggung", but it was renovated and enlarged in 1483 by King Seongjo ...
, built in 1483. So in 1511, the name was changed to its current name. The gate’s wooden gatehouse, constructed either in 1684 or 1744, was brought down in 1928, leaving only the stone archway standing. Later in the
Japanese colonial period, the entire gate was brought down to make room for a street car line linking
Hyehwa-dong
Hyehwa-dong is a '' dong'' (neighborhood) of Jongno-gu in Seoul, South Korea. It is adjacent to the Seoul National University Hospital.
Attractions
* PMC Daehangno Jayu Theater - musical ''Polaroid'' were played from 3 to 24 August 2008, starri ...
and
Donam-dong. The gate was rebuilt in 1992, slightly further north than the site of the previous gate.
The name Hyehwamun means literally “Distribution of Wisdom Gate.” It is one of the Four Small Gates (사소문) in the Fortress Wall of Seoul.
Since the gate to the north, it was an important gate for people to move toward the north of the country.
The Gate today
Hyehwamun is located along a busy street (Dongsomun-ro, 동소문로). The gate is incorporated into the
Fortress Wall to its north. Immediately to its south is the street, but then the Fortress Wall continues on the other side of the street, running all the way down to the East Gate,
Heunginjimun. Visitors to the gate today are allowed access to the front and the back of the gate, and under the gate itself. Visitors may also carefully view the wooden gatehouse above the gate, but are not allowed inside, and should not approach too closely due to a laser alarm system (July 2012).
The gate can be accessed via
subway line 4, from either
Hyehwa Station exit 4, or
Hansung University Station exit 5. Hansung University Station is the closer of the two, being only about 1.5 city blocks from the gate.
Visitors can find it via Sajik Tunnel, Inwangsan (Mt. Inwang), Bukaksan (Mt. Bukak), Changdeokgung Palace, and Sungkyunkwan University. It intersects with the road toward Uijeongbu. People can see Bukaksan and Bukak Pavilion to the west of Hyehwamun Gate.
Images
References
{{Eight Gates of Seoul
Gates in Korea
Gates in South Korea
Buildings and structures in Seoul
History of Seoul
Rebuilt buildings and structures in South Korea