UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE SUWON HWASEONG FORTRESS AND THE PALACE
In
almost all my travels, I partially depended on the research of my travel buddy
on the what’s and where-to when in a
given destination. The bits and pieces
of information is a puzzle until we arrive and estimate the time to be spent
for each landmark inclusive of transits.
While
in South Korea, the plans of skiing and going to a national park in the
mountains were ditched. Fortunately, we
had back-up plans and off we go to quite a distant area yet a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
We
arrived at the City of Suwon after a series of subway line transfers and was
relieved to see a fortress-like structure.
We were at one of the main gates of the palace, the Paldalmun.
PALDALMUN GATE
Paldalmun
Gate is the southern gate of Hwaseong fortress, designated as National Treasure
No. 402. Located in the middle of the
city, the gate is quite unique that it is detached from the rest of the gates.
Commercial
area surrounds the gate with interesting food finds and bargain merchandise.
HWASEONG TEMPORARY PALACE
In
an unexpected detour, we reached a famed palace known for the beauty of Joseon
architecture – Hwaseong Temporary Palace.
And the palace is even made familiar as it is the cinematographic location
of the Korean drama, Jewel in the Palace.
At
the entrance gate, we were greeted by life-sized cardboard cutouts of the famed
Jang-Geum of the Korean drama. It felt
surreal.
Hwaseong Temporary Palace is called as Hwaseong Haenggung. Haenggung refers to a temporary palace
where a king would stop for a short stay during a journey. Hwaseong Haenggung is the palace where King
Jeongjo frequently stayed to visit his father’s tomb in Suwon-si.
Roof
details and architectural design of the palace is just awesome. The rooms on
the varied buildings that surround the palace complex also serves as a museum
with wax statues of palace personalities depicting their routines.
HWASEOMUN GATE
From
the Hwaseong Temporary Palace, we walked towards another interesting gate that
serves as an observatory deck as well.
This is actually the most photographed part of the Suwon Hwaseong
Fortress and oftentimes made as the representation of the UNESCO World Heritage
Site Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.
Along
the way, gardens and a laidback rural community with murals on some portion were
a good sight. It was refreshing and
relaxing to pass through the streets of Suwon.
The
rainbow-shaped arch gateway is surmounted by a one-story wooden octagonal
pavilion surrounded by a stone wall and where a watchtower stands on one end.
The
area is surrounded by residential houses made of bricks comprising a small
quaint community.
EXPERIENCE TRADITIONAL
KOREAN ARCHERY
For
our last stop, we passed by the Suwon Chicken Street through a bridge
overlooking the stream. And we did
not eat fried chicken. The walk
continues until we reached the Dongjangdae
(Command Post).
The
Suwon Dongjandae Command Post (Yeonmudae) is where King Jeong-Jo’s army
practiced their martial arts. Guests are
given the chance to try out Gukgung,
the traditional art of archery. It costs
2,000KRW on a one-time chance for 10 arrows.
While there are a lot of activities to engage with while at the fortress compound, our short stint was enough of an introduction for this vast acre of land designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How To Get to
Suwon
The
most convenient is through the subway station.
Take the Seoul subway line 1 (blue) south – Cheonan line. Ensure that you are on the correct section of
the train as it later splits and travels on two separate lines: the Incheon
line (west) and Cheonan line (south).
At
Suwon Station, get on the intra-city bus 11, 13, 13-3, 36 or 39 at Exit 4,
Suwon Station (North square) and get off at Hwaseong Temporary Palace and Suwon
palace bus stop. On the opposite side of
Suwon station (go through underpass) get on intra-city bus 60, 660, 700-2, 7 0r
7-2.
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