Hanyangdoseong
한양도성
The wall that enclosed the Joseon capital, raised in 1396 and carried along the ridgelines of Baegaksan, Naksan, Namsan and Inwangsan. Its 1963 designation as a Historic Site took in the gates, bastions, barbicans, beacon mounds and water gates as one heritage item together with the wall itself.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 한양도성
- Address
- San 1-29 Nusang-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and other parcels
- Opening hours
- not published by the operator
- Admission
- Not published by the operator
- Area
- 639,920.58 m² · The area covered by the Historic Site designation.
- Opened
- 1396 · The year the Seoul City Wall site gives for its building — the fifth year of King Taejo. The heritage register gives its period as 1395.
History
Hanyangdoseong was built in 1396, the fifth year of King Taejo's reign, and was rebuilt several times thereafter. Under Taejo, its level sections were built of earth and its mountain sections of stone; under King Sejong, the earthen sections were also rebuilt in stone. It had four main gates and four smaller gates, but Donuimun and Souimun no longer exist, while the rebuilt Gwanghuimun and Hyehwamun stand away from their original sites.
1396
Construction of Hanyangdoseong
9 January–28 February 1396, lunar calendar
First construction period
6 August–24 September 1396, lunar calendar
Second construction period
1899
Tram opening and loss of gate function
1907
Removal of walls beside Sungnyemun
1908
Removal of most level-ground walls
1914
Demolition of Souimun
1915
Sale of Donuimun
1968
Start of rebuilding near Sukjeongmun
1974
Expansion of rebuilding to all sections
Seoul City Wall (Seoul Metropolitan Government) — history of the wall ·
What to see
Sungnyemun
Part of Sungnyemun burned in an arson attack in 2008. Craftspeople restored it using traditional techniques and existing measured records.
Hanyangdoseong wall remains exhibition site
Excavations in 2013–2014 revealed about 189 metres of wall remains in this area. Sections built under Taejo in the 14th century, under Sejong in the 15th century, and after Sukjong in the 18th and 19th centuries form one wall, showing changes in construction methods.
Inscribed wall stone marked 'Gangja yukbaek cheok'
An inscribed wall stone (gakjaseongseok) marked 'Gangja yukbaek cheok' was found in a retaining wall at the Jayu Center building on Namsan. When the building was constructed, the city wall there was demolished and its stones used for the retaining wall, so the stone's original position is unknown.
Ogansumun and Igansumun
These two water gates near Heunginjimun carried water outside the city wall.
Sungnyemun selected
Stories about this place
- Choosing Seoul History Sites: City Wall, Gyeongbokgung, Jongmyo, Museum
Choose between the Hanyangdoseong city wall, Gyeongbokgung, Jongmyo and the Seoul Museum of History according to the part of Seoul's past you want to understand, with pairings for a history day and what to check before you go.
- Seoul City Wall and Its Historic Sites: Sungnyemun, Jongmyo, Bukchon
Hanyangdoseong, two of its gates (Sungnyemun and Heunginjimun) and four places inside the wall — Jongmyo, Unhyeongung, Bukchon and Namsangol Hanok Villages — set out by who each suits, whether you can go in, opening hours and closing days, getting there and the order to visit. Three of the seven are places you enter, and two of those three are free.
Nearby Food
Travel Guides
Related articles
Where these facts come from
- Korea Heritage Portal — Seoul Hanyangdoseong, a Historic Site: designated 21 Jan 1963, at San 1-29 Nusang-dong and other parcels, 639,920.58㎡, dated 1395 ·
- OpenStreetMap — the Naksan stretch of the wall ·
- Seoul City Wall (Seoul Metropolitan Government) — history of the wall ·
- Seoul City Wall (Seoul Metropolitan Government) — heritage value ·
- Seoul City Wall (Seoul Metropolitan Government) — wall remains exhibition site ·