Unhyeongung
운현궁
Not one of the grand palaces and not trying to be — a compact residential compound three minutes from Anguk Station that fills the gap between two bigger stops.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 운현궁
- Address
- 464 Samil-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Nearest station
- Anguk Station (안국역, Line 3) (Exit 4) · 3-min walk, Jongno 3-ga Station (종로3가역, Lines 1, 3 and 5) (Exit 5) · 8-min walk
- Opening hours
- Apr–Oct 09:00–19:00 (last entry 18:30) Jan–Mar, Nov–Dec 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30) Apr–Nov Fri 09:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30)
- Closed
- Every Mon (open if it falls on a public holiday)
- Time needed
- 30 min
- Admission
- Free
- Area
- 16,646 m²
Prices
| Admission | Free |
|---|
Source: Unhyeongung — visitor information ·
History
Unhyeongung was Gojong's home before he was king. The official history is blunt about what the place was like beforehand: until Heungseon Daewongun came to power it was unremarkable enough that you could not tell royalty lived there.
That changed immediately after Gojong's enthronement on 13 December 1863. Construction of the major buildings began about a month later, and the compound became the centre from which Daewongun exercised power. Norakdang was completed in September 1864, and it was there that Gojong and Queen Myeongseong were married on 21 March 1866. Irodang was added in 1869.
The site was designated a Historic Site on 22 November 1977.
Before 1863
An unremarkable house
Gojong's residence before his accession, with little to mark it as a royal household.
13 December 1863
Gojong enthroned
Building work on the compound begins about a month afterwards.
September 1864
Norakdang completed
The hall that would host the royal wedding.
21 March 1866
A royal wedding
Gojong and Queen Myeongseong are married at Unhyeongung.
1869
Irodang added
The compound reaches something close to its present layout.
1977
Designated
Registered as a Historic Site on 22 November.
What to see
Sujiksa Quarters
The wing to the right of the main gate, where the guards and caretakers lived. Its rooms are now furnished with a brazier, furniture and oil lamps to show how it was used.
Salamander724 (Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Noandang Hall
The men's quarters, and Heungseon Daewongun's main residence. Raised and completed in 1864 alongside Norakdang; the name comes from a passage in the Analects about honouring the old and putting them at ease. The Yeonghwaru raised floor adjoins its front.
Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1)
Norakdang Hall
The central building of Unhyeongung, used for the family's large occasions — sixtieth birthdays and banquets. It is described as being on a scale that stood comparison with a palace.
Seoul Tourism Organization Archive (Seoul Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1)
Irodang Hall
The women's quarters. 'Iro' — 'the two elders' — is read as Heungseon Daewongun and his wife, Lady Min of Yeoheung. It was built in 1869, later than Noandang and Norakdang in front of it.
Salamander724 (Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Sujiksa Quarters selected
Accessibility and facilities
The site is small and set directly on a main road at the Anguk Station exit, so it involves no long approach walk — the shortest arrival of any historic site in the area.
Nearby
Gaeseong Mandu Koong
An Insadong house that has served Gaeseong-style dumplings for more than thirty years, best known for its dumpling hot pot.
Changdeokgung Palace
Choose it for palace architecture plus garden scenery, but confirm whether the Secret Garden requires a separate timed ticket.
Ikseon-dong Hanok Village
The alleys are public streets, so there is no gate, no ticket and no closing time — but almost everything worth walking in for is a business with its own hours, and most of them do not open early. It is also smaller than Bukchon on purpose: these are 30-pyeong houses, not aristocratic compounds.
Nakwon Musical Instrument Arcade
A building given over entirely to musical instruments, on Samil-daero beside Tapgol Park. It has dealt in instruments since 1970 and holds some 350 shops across four floors. On Sundays only some of them open.
Stories about this place
- Seven Historic Sites in Seoul: Hanyangdoseong, Two Gates and Four Places Inside the Wall
Seoul's old city wall, two of its gates and four places inside it, set out by how each relates to the wall, whether you can go in, and whether it is worth its own slot. Three of the seven are places you enter, and two of those three are free.
- Four Places to Visit in Ikseon-dong: The Hanok Village, Unhyeongung, Jongmyo and Changdeokgung
Four sites within a short walk of Jongno 3-ga, compared on what you see, how you get in and how long each takes. They close on three different days and only one of them limits how you enter, so the day of the week decides the list.
Nearby Food
- Five Seoul Korean Barbecue Restaurants: Hanwoo, Galbi, Bulgogi and Pork Belly
- What the broth is made of — eight Seoul houses, seven different bases
- Northern Korean Food in Seoul: Naengmyeon, Eobok-jaengban, Mandu and Kongbiji
- Seven Seoul houses that open for breakfast — before eight in the morning
- Six Seoul houses that make the noodle by hand — kalguksu, guksi, sujebi
- Enjoying Seoul's Cafe Culture
Travel Guides
Related articles
- Changdeokgung: The Palace Joseon's Kings Actually Lived In
- Jongmyo: The Shrine That Outranked the Palace
- Gyeongbokgung: The Main Palace of Joseon
- Seoul's Five Palaces, Compared: Price, Closing Day, Hours — and How There Came to Be Five
- Squid Game Filming Locations in Seoul — a Subway Platform, a Bus Terminal and a Convenience Store
- Kingdom Seoul Palace Filming Route — Three Palaces and a Shrine on Foot
