Gyeongbokgung

From Free net encyclopedia

Gyeongbokgung (Gyeongbok Palace) is a palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. It was the main and largest palace of the Joseon Dynasty and one of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty.

The palace was originally constructed in 1394 AD, by Jeong Do-jeon, a Korean architect. It was burnt down during the Japanese invasion in 1592. After over 270 years of neglect, it was reconstructed in 1868, ending up as a massive 330 building complex. Standing on 410,000 square meters of land, it was a symbol of majesty for the Korean people and the home of the royal family.

In 1911, the Japanese destroyed all but 10 buildings, constructing the Japanese General Government Building for the Governor-General of Korea in front of the main gate, deliberately disrupting the geomancy of Seoul. This building was finally demolished in 1996. There is no photographic record of the site before 1911.

The major buildings on the site include the Geunjeongjeon, the royal throne room (national treasure number 223), and the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion (national treasure number 224), which stands in a lotus pond and rests on 48 granite pillars. The pavilion is depicted on the Korean 10,000 won banknote.

Today the palace is open to the public, and the National Folk Museum of Korea is located on the site. The National Museum of Korea was there too, until it was relocated to Yongsan-gu in 2005.

Many Koreans still hope to resurrect part of the original palace. Archeological work has brought 330 building foundations to light. However, the exact design, color, height, etc will never truly be determined.

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Image:Gyeongbok-gung palace-03 (xndr).jpg

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The Blue House

(Main article: Cheong Wa Dae) The back garden of the Palace used to contain the main part of the Government House complex constructed during the Japanese era. When the Japanese left the complex was occupied by the American Governors of Korea and by the Presidents of South Korea. The last of the Japanese-constructed buildings were demolished in 1995. Now the (entirely Korean-built) complex is known as the Cheongwadae (Blue House), the residence of the President of South Korea.

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