Seoul: May ‘Meet the Palace Today’ Royal Culture Festival

mongsang_magazine

[Seokjojeon Hall, Deoksugung Palace, Seoul]
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First Western-style stone building. Seokjojeon

Seokjojeon is the first Western-style stone building in Korea built inside Deoksugung Palace. Construction began in 1900 and was completed 10 years later. The exterior was built in 'column-style' and 'neo-classical style' according to Western architectural techniques, and the interior was built in a rococo style. At the time of its completion, it was at the end of the Korean Empire, so it could not be used as the palace of the emperor, and was only used for a while while King Gojong was alive. After a lot of time passed, it was used as the meeting place of the US-US Joint Committee, the National Museum in 1953, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in 1973, and now it is used as the History Museum of the Korean Empire.
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Harding, a British architect, was in charge of Seokjojeon, and the interior was designed by Lobel. Its original purpose was to be built as the king's residence and pyeonjeon. As a building built in the neoclassical style, very strict proportions and left-right symmetry are emphasized. In addition, the front is 54m and the width is 31m, and it boasts a relatively large scale with three floors. It consists of living spaces from the first floor to the living room, the reception room and hall on the second floor, and living spaces such as the bedroom on the third floor. With Ionic columns and gable roofs on the base, it has a shape similar to that of a European upper-class mansion. Among them, in the center of the gable roof, 'Oyat Flower', a symbol of the Korean Empire, is engraved.
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A Western-style garden is located around this place, and there is also a Western-style fountain in the center. But ironically, if you look around the area, it is full of oriental wooden buildings. When I put down the common sense in my head and focused on the sequence, my head was filled with some unknown irony and I felt a little sad. The result of this Gwangmu Reform, which was created to escape from the reputation of being uncivilized in the name of Joseon and not to be ignored, would have been hoped for at that time to become a non-attacking weapon. However, with the fall of the Korean Empire, that wind was abandoned. But today was different. He became confident enough not to be pushed anywhere, and the name of the Republic of Korea itself became a weapon.
The day I visited was an exceptionally bright day. In the high blue sky, under the clouds that seemed to have been painted by someone, traces of nature were shining beautifully. Among them, Deoksugung Palace and Seokjojeon Hall shone dazzlingly.
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From May 10 to May 22, the Palace Culture Festival will be held at Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Gyeonghuigung Palace, and Jongmyo Shrine. The Palace Culture Festival is the largest cultural heritage festival in Korea. Under the slogan of 'Meet the palace today', various cultural and artistic programs such as performances, experiences, exhibitions, and ceremonies are held based on the historical and locality. I think the peak of the year, 12 months, 365 days, is the month of May. It is May, when certain subjects shine, and it is a time to feel the preciousness of the bond we have together. I hope you will take the time to enjoy your trip back to the past.
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location
-Deoksugung Palace, 99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul

Information Use
- Deoksugung Palace / Closed every Monday / 09:00~21:00 Entry allowed until 1 hour before closing
- Visiting Seokjojeon Hall of Korean Empire History is only available for additional reservations / advance reservations online.

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UNESCO World Heritage Site

place_archive

Changgyeonggung is a good place to visit anytime, day or night, regardless of season 📸

✔️ 185, Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
✔️ Tue - Sun 09:00 - 21:00 (last entry 20:00)
✔️ Closed Monday

architechu

The most beautiful autumn If I had to choose a place I would most like to go to in autumn, it would be Seongbuk and Jongno estuary. Among them, the banks of Gyeongbokgung Palace are the best season to imagine the spectacle of Joseon. The colors of autumn that you enjoy walking around the palace are truly fantastic. If I were to pick the most beautiful city organization where the past and the present coexist, I would say this without a doubt. - A country with high cultural power: City - Walking through Gwanghwamun Square, you can see the low and majestic Gwanghwamun through the forest of high-rise buildings. If land is expensive in Seoul, this is the yolk land in the center and in the middle of Seoul, and this is the root of our nation. Gyeongbokgung Palace, built in the 5th year of King Taejo in 1396. It was a place for the king to conduct business and compete with his subjects, and it was also the residence of the king and queen. In Sejong, a work space was created for the queen, called Gyotaejeon, to handle important tasks as the national mother. Considering the present, the 'Blue House' is the same as the character of this space in the past. And Gyeongbokgung Palace is still in the middle of Seoul with its appearance intact. It sits solemnly in the middle of the splendid forest of buildings in the city of Seoul, holding the center of it, and makes us not forget our roots. And its beautiful appearance attracts many people from all over the world to visit and interest, and promotes its beauty so widely that it appears in advertisements for some famous cosmetic companies. - In my opinion, Gyeongbokgung Palace is the most special urban organization in Seoul. When you think of European cities, there are new buildings built along the spaces that have existed since the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, but the entire complex is not surrounded by tall and splendid modern buildings like Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. If you look north from Gwanghwamun Square, you can see a relatively low-rise old building in the land, and on the contrary, if you look south from the palace, you can see a strangely modern city scene. The Forbidden City in Beijing, China, is a completely different context. - Such Gyeongbokgung Palace is an attractive space that many people visit even today, but Gyeongbokgung Palace is not actually built in the Joseon Dynasty. This palace was burned down during the Japanese Invasion of Korea and was rebuilt. Due to the Japanese colonial rule, the location of Gwanghwamun was rebuilt off the axis of Hanyang, and the Japanese government-general blocked our palace. After liberation, the palace was damaged during the Korean War, and the government-general destroyed the palace and restored it. The location of Gwanghwamun was also put back in the same place in Joseon. The present Gyeongbokgung Palace is shining in the middle of Seoul, but it is a strong space that has survived countless storms and wars. In the meantime, it was possible because there were countless people who worked hard to keep the example of our people, and this is a testament to how important this space is to our people. - To that extent, the first image that comes to mind when thinking about 'Seoul' is the appearance of this Gwanghwamun Square. Due to the nature of the peninsula, we are a nation that has been destroyed and resurrected in countless wars and invasions from foreign powers. In the meantime, the spaces of the past have been torn down rather than kept for survival, and few remain, but now, the spaces have been restored to solidify their presence in the modern city of Seoul. The words of the leaders of the past who dreamed of “the most Korean is the most global” and “a country with high cultural power” are now becoming the strength of Korea. As space is a box that reflects the culture of that era, today's space has a special meaning. - The city of Seoul stretches out like a branch around this 'Gyeongbokgung Palace'. The power of our culture can now be easily felt in every corner of the city. The Korean thing is here. Those special scenes that the city shows are our strength and our example. With the words “there is no future for a nation that has forgotten the past”, we end today’s story. With this article, the six-month story of the city with the #Seoul Museum of Architecture and Urbanism has come to an end. - I wrote an article about Gyeongbokgung Palace to send a meaningful greeting to the readers through the last story. It is said that when King Taejo planned this palace, Jeong Do-jeon took its name from a poem that said, “I am already drunk and already full from the virtues, the gentleman will help you with great blessings for the rest of your years.” As it has the meaning of 'great blessing', I am sending my greetings to all those who are exhausted from the battle against the disease in 2020, hoping that next year will bring good luck. “May everyone be blessed.” I will never forget that it was thanks to the readers that I was able to finish the story of this city safely. thank you. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to the Seoul Museum of Urbanism and Architecture, who worked hard together on this great opportunity. - Location _ Gyeongbokgung Palace

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Snow = Jongmyo, Jongmyo = Snow

Lunar New Year is the nation's biggest holiday. Now, the origin is just an origin and has a strong meaning as a holiday, but for many families, the meaning of Chinese New Year and a key event are still in turn. In this sense, Jongmyo (宗廟), which enshrined the relics of the royal family and held national ancestral rites during the Joseon Dynasty, is the origin of Korean culture and the most 'New Year's Day' place.

As Jongmyo was built for a different purpose than palace, the atmosphere it creates is different. After entering, the building did not catch the eye for a while, and most of the space was actually a walking path, but the long, straight stone path creates a different atmosphere from Changgyeonggung Palace and Seonjeongneung Tomb.

In addition, the main buildings, Jeongjeon and Yeongjeon, have a long facade and are integrated with the front yard, so they have very exceptional and special architectural forms regardless of the East and West. Unfortunately, it is difficult to fully appreciate the magnificence of the Jeongjeon as it is undergoing repair work until the end of this year, but the aesthetic beauty of Yeongnyeongjeon, which can be seen in a miniature version, can alleviate the disappointment.

Jongmyo has various charms in its own right, but it is the serenity of this place that fully conveys its charm. There is a widespread perception that 'Forbidden City on a snowy day', so on a snowy day, the palace is crowded with many people even on weekdays during the daytime. Regardless of your personal likes or dislikes about the order and ritual culture, it is undeniable that Jongmyo is one of Seoul's treasures.

📍 157, Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

[Reservation system guide participation is the principle, but due to corona and power outages, the self-guided viewing system with an admission fee of 1,000 won is operated indefinitely.]