Palaces are a staple if you’re visiting Seoul. Or South Korea, in general. In fact, I think you cannot say you’ve made a proper visit to this beautiful country without having visited at least one of these national treasures. Changdeokgung, or Changdeok Palace, is one of these palaces: a well-preserved historical relic of the past and a beautiful reminder of that past in the present. Out of the five major palaces of Joseon, it is the most well-preserved to this day, and that’s partly the reason it was declared another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After the Gyeongbukgung Palace (the main palace of the Joseon dynasty, which I talked about in my visits here, here and here) was constructed, the next to be built was the Changdeokgung, which was described back then as a “royal villa”. This was in 1405. However when Gyeongbukgung had to undergo repairs and renovation, the royal family needed a place to stay in, and Changdeokgung was chosen among the other subsidiary palaces.
Changdeokgung literally translates to “Prospering Virture Palace”, and it is also called the “East Palace” because it is located to the east of Gyeongbukgung. Compared to the more grandiose and majestic Gyeongbukgung, however, Changdeokgung is more simple. The entire palace covers around 44.5 hectares or .462 square kilometers. It is slightly larger than Gyeongbukgung’s 40 hectares or .410 square kilometers.
From Myeongdong, we took the Blue Line to Chungmuro station, then transferred to the Orange line to Anguk Station. That took about 15 minutes. We went out through Exit 3 and started the short walk towards the Palace.
It was still 8:45am, and most shops were closed, except for stores selling fruits. Cafes and restos are still closed, but the storefronts and facades were already interesting enough to make us stop for a while to check them out and take photos.
7 minutes after stepping off the station and starting walking, we finally laid eyes on the entrance to the Palace. We arrived just in time for the 9:00am opening, There were already quite a number of people at the Ticketing booth.
We bought our tickets, which cost 8,000 KRW per person (3,000 KRW for the Palace Area, and the 5,000 for the Huwon Secret Garden, which we decided to go to while we were there). There are available guided tours in three languages, English included, but they had set times for that. We decided to just walk around and trust the signs and the brochure.
This is the Donhwamun, the main gate of the Palace. It also happens to be the largest among all the gates in the Palace. This is also the starting point of all the guided tours.
It was still 9am, but we can feel the heat already. It was going to be one scorching hot day. So we immediately sat down by a stream (LOL) for some shade.
There were streams criss-crossing the outer edges of the Palace, but it’s midsummer, and it’s hot, so water was not exactly in abundance.
The vicinity of Donhwamun is the site for ceremonial affairs, including royal processions. To the left is another gate, which will bring you further inside the Palace.
It is quite a long walkway which, when followed straight, will lead you to the Nakseonjae Complex, where the quarters of the Crown Prince are located. There is no shade, and the heat from above literally clashes with the heat rising from the stones on our feet, and it was hoooooooooooot~
To the left, however, is another gate. This is the Injeongmun or the Injeong Gate, which opens up to the Injeongjeon.
Injeongjeon is the Throne Hall of Changdeokgung. It is basically where the King conducts major state affairs. This is where coronations take place, and where the King entertains foreign envoys.
From afar, it would appear that the Throne Hall has two levels or storeys. Instead, there is only one level, with a high ceiling. Guests cannot go in beyond the doorway, though, but we are allowed to take photos of the interior, where the King’s throne is.
While inside the Palace, it is easy to forget that we just came from a bustling metropolis area. But look back, and you can catch a glimpse of the city beyond the walls of the Palace.
Our desperation for some shade and cool breeze led us to take refuge under some trees. Oh, yeah, have I mentioned how we are mountain girls at heart?
After cooling off a bit, we proceeded to the Seongjeonggak Hall, the residence of the Crown Prince’s. During the Imjin War (Japanese invasion), however, the area was transformed into a royal hospital.
We moved on to the next area, which is the Huijeongdang Hall, which is the “actual main hall” of Changdeokgung. Injeongjeon is the symbolic throne hall, but this hall is where the real action happens, because it is where the King spends most of his time.
In short, this is the workplace of the King. Originally, it was the King’s bedchamber, but I suppose he found it more practical as his “office”.
Right behind it is the Daejojeon Hall, or the Queen’s residence. Yep, they are never far apart, it seems.
The Daejojeon served as the residence of the last empress of Joseon until the liberation of Korea in the war.
It was noticeably wider than the Huijeongdang. Quite predictably, too, there were gardens in the area, presumably for the Queen to walk around in and smell the roses, with her court ladies waiting in attendance (oh dern, I watch way too many sageuks, haha!)
At 10:10, we made our way out of the King and Queen’s residences and made that short walk to the far end of the Palace, to the Nakseonjae Complex.
The Nakseonjae Complex was originally built as the King’s quarters, then it also housed the quarters of the Crown Prince. The last to occupy this area of the palace was Bangja Lee, the wife of the last Crown Prince. Several buildings were built inside the Complex, and served as the home of a famous royal concubine (Royal Lady Geongbin) and also Queen Sunwon, the mother of the King.
King Heonjong, who had this area built, was particular about keeping the design simple, so there were no colorful paints used. They stuck to neutral hues and simple lines.
Oh, here are a pair of friends who visited the Palace wearing hanboks.
Let us take a peek inside one of the rooms, shall we? If I remember correctly, this was where the Royal Lady lived.
There was also the “Elegant garden of Nakseonjae”, which was located at the back of the Hall. It’s a flower garden with stacked stones and three pavilions.
As we were walking around, we caught the tail end of one of the English guided tours and tried to listen. Unfortunately, we had difficulty understanding the heavy accent of the lady guide. When the tour was over, she apologized, saying it was her first time conducting a guided tour.
We took a photo with her nonetheless, because man, it must be hot wearing that costume!
Because we were looking for shelter from the heat, we stuck to the alleyways. And found ourselves kinda transported somewhere creepy and ancient. LOL.
Compared to Gyeongbukgung, Changdeokgung was not as crowded. It was also easier to navigate because the structures were far apart, unlike Gyeonbukgung, where you may get lost in some areas because they seem like mazes.
When we stepped out of the Nakseonjae Complex, it was already 10:35. We slowly made our way to the walkway to the Secret Garden, where other visitors were already waiting for the 11:00am tour to start.
I’ll see you next post for that visit to the Secret Garden of the royal family of Joseon! Till next post!
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