Taereung and Gangneung Royal Tombs
태릉과 강릉
The Joseon Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall, which covers the tombs as a whole, stands inside this precinct. If several tombs are on the itinerary, starting here is what makes the rest legible.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 태릉과 강릉
- Address
- 681 Hwarang-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul
- Opening hours
- Feb–May, Sep–Oct 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00) Jun–Aug 09:00–18:30 (last entry 17:30) Jan, Nov–Dec 09:00–17:30 (last entry 16:30)
- Closed
- Every Mon (open if it falls on a public holiday; closed the next weekday instead)
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Admission
- ₩1,000
- Operated by
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre
Prices
| Adult(domestic visitors 25-64, foreign visitors 19-64) | ₩1,000 |
|---|---|
| Admission(Korean nationals aged 24 and under or 65 and over (photo ID required)) | Free |
| Admission(foreign visitors aged 18 and under or 65 and over) | Free |
| Admission(visitors wearing hanbok, including modernised hanbok) | Free |
| the last Wednesday of each month, Culture Day | Free |
| Group(groups of ten or more) | ₩800 |
Source: Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — royal tomb admission ·
What to see
Joseon Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall
The Joseon Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall first opened in 2009 and was reorganised in 2021. It is the principal exhibition for the royal tombs as a whole, arranged as an overview of all of them, a closer look at the state funeral and the management of grave goods, and the story of Taereung and Gangneung.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Taereung
Taereung is the tomb of Queen Munjeong of the Yun clan, third queen of Jungjong, the 11th king of Joseon. Its mound is girdled with both a screen of stone panels and a balustrade; the panels are carved with cloud patterns and the twelve zodiac deities, with the zodiac branches also cut as characters. Unusually, the civil and military stone figures have pierced earlobes. Queen Munjeong had wanted to be buried with her husband, but Jungjong's tomb flooded repeatedly, so hers was raised on this site instead.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Gangneung
Gangneung is the tomb of Myeongjong, the 13th king of Joseon, and his queen Insun of the Sim clan. It takes the twin-mound form, the two mounds set side by side inside one curved screen wall: seen from the front, the king lies on the left (west) and the queen on the right (east). It was built two years after Queen Munjeong's Taereung and closely resembles it. Both mounds carry a screen of stone panels and a balustrade, and the balustrade joins the two together.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Joseon Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall selected
Nearby
Donggureung Royal Tombs
Nine royal tombs in one wood, so the changing form of the tomb — from the founding of Joseon almost to the Korean Empire — can be walked in a single visit. Taejo’s mound at Geonwolleung is covered in silver grass rather than turf.
Uireung Royal Tomb
The former KCIA auditorium still stands inside the tomb walls. The July 4th North-South Joint Statement was announced in that building, so a Joseon royal tomb and twentieth-century political history share one precinct.
Dream Forest
A green park opened in 2009 on the 660,000-square-metre site of the former Dreamland amusement park. Two wooded hills enclose it, and the observatory and arts centre by the west gate carry performances and exhibitions.
Grand Peace Palace, Kyung Hee University
The large concert hall on Kyung Hee University's Seoul campus, its Gothic exterior a landmark in its own right. Being a university building, it runs on the academic calendar as well as the concert one.
Stories about this place
- The Five Joseon Royal Tombs in Seoul, Compared by What Survives at Each
All five Joseon royal tombs inside Seoul, compared on what only that one has, when it opens and where it is. Admission and the closing day are identical at all five, so where you go is decided by what survives at each rather than by cost.
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