The Five Grand Palaces of Seoul

The magnificent palaces built during the Joseon dynasty

Let me introduce you the Five Grand Palaces of Seoul, one of the main sights of this amazing city. I only saw three of the five, but those were the biggest and the main ones, which are well preserved and being further restored. They're located in the northern part of the historic Seoul and most of the tourists go and see these palaces. So in case you're heading there one day, here's a brief intro. In my upcoming posts I will post some beautiful photos of the three palaces I've seen, I hope you will like it. So here they are, placed in order by their significance:

Chang·deok·gung [창덕궁/昌德宮] - "Palace of Prospering Virtue"

This incredible Korean royal palace is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's like a holy place for Koreans. This is my favorite palace of the three I've seen. It's huge and massive, with a beautiful secret garden and amazing architecture [source].

Gyeong·bok·gung [경복궁/景福宮] - "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven"

This was the main palace of the Korean kings during the Joseon dynasty. It's truly an amazing place. You can see the changing of the guards ceremony in front of the main gate. The National Folk Museum of Korea is also located near by and during my visit, there was some beautiful sakura everywhere [source].

Chang·gyeong·gung [창경궁/昌慶宮] - "Palace of Flourishing Gladness"

This former palace of Korean kings is also very interesting. It's the first one I have visited. The whole area is big, if you include gardens and Jongmyo, so you'll have a lot of walking to do, if you want to see everything. But the palace itself is not so big and there's not so many accompanying buildings like with the previous two palaces. It's worth to see the whole premise [source].

Deok·su·gung [덕수궁/德壽宮] - "Palace of Virtuous Longevity"

Like every of the palaces, this one was also heavily destroyed by the Japanese and only 33% of the original size remains. I haven't visited this palace during my trip [more here].

Gyeong·hui·gung [경희궁/慶熙宮] - "Palace of Serene Harmony"

This palace was completely destroyed by the Japanese and has been rebuilt in the recent years. I haven't visited this one as well [more here].

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[My Korea page]

Changgyeonggung, Seoul

Palace of Flourishing Gladness in 2010

Main throne hall of Changgyeonggung.

Let me introduce you the last grand palace of the three I've seen in Seoul. The name is Chang·gyeong·gung [창경궁/昌慶宮] or the "Palace of Flourishing Gladness" and it's also a very interesting Korean royal palace. It's the first one I have visited. The whole area is big, if you include gardens and Jongmyo (where you need to enter and buy the ticket, cost me 1000 Won). You'll have a lot of walking to do, if you want to see everything. But the palace itself is not so big and there's not so many accompanying buildings like with the previous two palaces. It's worth to see the whole premise, though. I think it's best to see Changgyeonggung as the first of all the palaces (it's located in the east part) and then go to the western part and see the other four of the Five Great Palaces of Seoul. Enjoy my photos of this lovely place:

Jongmyo, a confucian shrine

Jongmyo, a Confucian shrine, is where you enter, if you're going to see Changgyeonggung. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and definitely worth to see.

See my photos of amazing Jongmyo here>>

The gate from Jongmyo to Changgyeonggung. Both parts are surrounded by a wall.

The Changgyeonggung palace complex.

The cherry blossoms were beautiful that day.

Haminjeong (涵仁亭) or the royal pavilion.

Hwangyeongjeon hall (歡慶殿) royal residence. The king slept here.

Off to the main part of the palace.

Myeongjeongjeon, the main throne hall

The buildings are very close to each other.

On the right side is the throne hall, in front is the courtyard.

The gate is named Myeongjeongmun (明政門).

Myeongjeongjeon (明政殿), the main throne hall of Changgyeonggung.

The throne of Korean kings.

The so called Bonghwang phoenixes above the throne.

The only photo of the front of Myeongjeongjeon was taken by a Korean man, who I ask for help. I don't know, why I didn't take photos of the whole building from the front. Bummer "-_-

The throne hall from the side.

Munjeongjeon hall, the council hall

Munjeongjeon hall (文政殿). The king dealt with state affairs here.

Inside Munjeongjeon hall. Very colorful and very well restored.

King's main spot.

After that I went uphill, above the palace is a forest, that leads to a pond.

This pond is called Chudangji and there's a lovely small island in the middle.

A greenhouse at the end. It has a beautiful garden.

View on the Namsan mountain and Namsan tower, my next destination.

How did you like my photos?

Realated sources: [Changgyeonggung on Visitkorea.or.kr][Changgyeonggung Wiki]

[My Korea][All photos by MKL except the small, 2010][Changgyeonggung Map]

Gyeongbokgung, Seoul

Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven in 2010

Ancient Korean guards at the main gate Hyeungnyemun.

Gyeong·bok·gung [경복궁/景福宮] or the "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven" was the main palace of the Korean kings in the past. It was built during the Joseon Dynasty in the year 1394¹. This one is impressive with its gates and courtyards and less so with parks and pavilions. This palace consists of many buildings, that speak for themselves. I can say I was truly impressed. The weather was great, even though it was a cold day, I liked the blue sky, which gave me the chance to take some awesome photos.

The ticket for Gyeongbokgung costs 3000 Won (2€, as for April 2010) and you'll need about 45min to 1h to see everything (including the nearby Korean Folk Museum). Enjoy my photos:

The Palace

A famous gate, Gwanghwamun, is located just in front of the whole palace complex, but it's not seen on these photos. You can check some pics here. It's currently being restored.

Ancient Korean guards greet you at the main gate named Hyeungnyemun.

Geunjeongmun or the the third inner gate and the Yeongjegyo bridge before.

The sakura was amazing here as well. I had to take some photos.

Geunjeongmun, the gate before the throne hall from close.

Geunjeongjeon, the famous throne hall of the Korean kings. Check some snow pics here>>

Geunjeongjeon from close. More photos here>>

The throne of Korean kings inside.

The throne hall inside.

The colors are dazzling, don't you think?

Geunjeongjeon at 14:47.

The living quarters

The kings living quarters near Gangnyeongjeon.

Inside the chamber. Where is the TV? :-P

Those cushions look soft and comfortable. I want some.

The backyard.

Gangnyeongjeon, the king's sleeping place on the right.

Inside Gangnyeongjeon.

Backside of Gangnyeongjeon.

Gyotaejeon, sleeping and living place of the queen. I wonder what was going on here.

The Korean queen was residing here. Was this a place of great drama?

I left the living quarters of the ancient royalties and headed to another part.

Jagyeonjeong, late queens living quarters, built in 1865.

The living quarters end here and a nice park begins.

Hyangwonjeong

Hyangwonjeong pavilion surrounded by Hyangwonji lake and accessible by the Chwihyangyo bridge. The pavilion's name means "Pavilion of Far-reaching Fragrance" and it's really one of the most beautiful places I have seen in Seoul. More about it here>>

Hyangwonjeong pavilion from close.

One of my favorite photos of my Korea trip. I sat on a bench here and was speechless.

Hyangwonjeong pavilion from afar.

The gate to king Gojong's Residence.

King Gojong's residence also called Geongcheonggung, restored in 2007.

Gojong was a Korean king in the 19th century. My Gyeongbokgung tour ends here.

Next stop: National Folk Museum of Korea>>

How do you like my photos?

[Pavilion][Throne Hall][My Korea][All photos by MKL, 2010][1: Info Source]