Basic History
Changdeokgung Palace is a palace from the Joseon Dynasty. In 1997, it was the only one of the five major palaces of Joseon to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located at 99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. If Gyeongbokgung Palace was the symbolic main palace, Changdeokgung Palace was the actual main palace. Most of the political affairs of the late Joseon Dynasty took place at Changdeokgung Palace.
Taejong, the Joseon Dynasty’s third monarch, was responsible for the construction of Changdeokgung Palace. Taejong, who returned to Hanyang in 1405, spent much of his time at Changdeokgung Palace before abdicating to his son Sejong in 1418. King Taejong erected Changdeokgung Palace because Gyeongbokgung Palace was where he caused bloodshed. Taejong has been guilty of murdering other brothers in order to become king. However, Gyeongbokgung Palace was still where the most significant national events took place.
Changdeokgung Palace was founded in 1405, with 74 rooms in the outer hall and 118 rooms in the inner hall. Although all of the essential services required for a palace were already in place, development on Changdeokgung Palace continued even after it was completed. In 1412, the main gate, Donhwamun, was built. King Taejong began creating the back garden of Changdeokgung Palace in 1406, after the palace’s essential buildings had been completed. Later, King Taejong expressed his appreciation for him by constantly using his patronage.
Later, during the early phases of the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592, when King Seonjo abandoned Hanseong and the palace, all palaces in Seoul were burned down. (The records do not specify if the instigator was the public or the Japanese troops.) When King Seonjo arrived in Hanseong in 1593, he lived in a temporary palace at Jeongneung-dong that had been restored by Prince Wolsan, King Seongjong’s older brother. After the war, King Seonjo showed that rebuilding Gyeongbokgung Palace would be too expensive and material-intensive, so he abandoned the project and decided to restore Changdeokgung Palace first. Accordingly, the reconstruction work began in 1605, three years before his death.
As a result, Changdeokgung Palace were quickly rebuilt, but Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was not reconstructed until Heungseon Daewongun gained authority, was reduced to a leopard habitat for nearly 270 years.
The palace then functioned as the principal palace for the late Joseon Dynasty until Heungseon Daewongun rebuilt Gyeongbokgung Palace, and it was the stage for the majority of political events at that time. In brief, Changdeokgung Palace was the king’s primary residence during the majority of the Joseon Dynasty’s history.
What is special about Changdeokgung Palace?
The most notable feature of the palace is that it maintains its original form better than any of Hanyang’s five great palaces. If you made a reservation and visited Changdeokgung Palace’s secret garden, the guide will have told you about this from the very beginning. As a result, it is frequently claimed that Changdeokgung Palace, rather than Gyeongbokgung Palace, should be chosen as Joseon’s representative palace.
The majority of the pavilions at Gyeongbokgung Palace were built in the nineteenth century or later, and most were demolished by the Government-General of Korea during the Japanese colonial period and rebuilt multiple times following independence.
On the other hand, most of the buildings of Changdeokgung Palace, including Injeongjeon, preserve the original state, so the palace itself was able to be registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In particular, many buildings, including Donhwamun, Injeongjeon, and Seonjeonjeon, remain in their original form, so their value as historical sites is high. In other words, the value of Changdeokgung Palace is relatively higher than that of other Joseon palaces. Also, the pavilions of Changdeokgung Palace create a very solemn atmosphere. This is a heavy beauty originating from a centuries-old palace.
Changdeokgung Palace maintained its status as the king’s main palace for more than twice as long as Gyeongbokgung Palace. As mentioned above, Gyeongbokgung Palace was a palace that remained only as a foundation for 275 years until it was completely destroyed by the Japanese invasions of Korea and rebuilt by Heungseon Daewongun.
Also Gyeongbokgung Palace was created with a strict dedication to tradition, including a focus on the layout of buildings around a central axis. Changdeokgung Palace, on the other hand, is a palace with structures distributed throughout and arranged according to the environment. Even the palace’s main gate and hall are radically different. The reason for this was because Changdeokgung Palace’s topography was intended to blend in with the surrounding hills, and the ley line of Jongmyo Shrine, located just south of the palace, wasn’t supposed to be damaged. This configuration is difficult to find in other Asian palaces; hence, Changdeokgung Palace can be considered a palace that exemplifies Korea’s distinct palace architectural arrangement.
How to get there and the ticket price
There are numerous bus stops near Donhwamun, the main gate, including busses 109, 151, 162, 171, 172, 272, 601, 710, 7025, and Jongno 12. The closest metro station is Anguk Station on Line 3. Donhwamun is roughly 400m distant from Exit 3 and takes 5 minutes to walk. If you arrive by car, your best option is to park in a neighboring private lot, such as behind the Jongno Fire Department temporary building. However, because it is located in the heart of Seoul, you will have to pay some high parking rates.
Ticket price and reservation for the garden
Depending on the viewing area, Palace is divided into a tour of the main building (building area) and a tour of the back garden (secret garden).
Therefore, the Palace ticket included in the integrated palace admission ticket consists of two types of tickets: a general admission ticket (pavilion admission ticket) and a garden admission ticket.
Since the entrance can be accessed by passing through the pavilion area (building area), both a general admission ticket (pavilion admission ticket) and a garden admission ticket are required to view the secret garden
If you use the general admission ticket first and use the sponsored admission ticket on a different day, you must purchase the general admission ticket (hall admission ticket) separately at the ticket office.
*Payment ticket: 3,000 won(About 2 USD)
There is no limit to the number of people to view the general palace, so you can enter by immediately presenting the general admission ticket (pavilion admission ticket) included in the integrated admission ticket to the ticket inspector at the palace entrance (Donhwamun).
But the number of admissions to the garden tour is limited, holders of integrated admission tickets must make advance online reservations on a first-served basis or visit the ticket office from 9 a.m. on the day of the tour to exchange for online ticket.
The Garden open later and close earlier than the palace. During the winter, it opens at 10 a.m, lasts entry at 3 p.m, in other seasons it opens at 10am and closes at 4:10 p.m. In other seasons, the doors open at 10 o’clock, last admission is at 4 o’clock, and it closes at 5 o’clock. The palace opens an hour earlier and closes an hour later than garden, so if you want to see garden, you have to go a little earlier.
The link to the palace ticket reservation site is in below.
A must-see building in the Changdeokgung Palace
Donhwamun Gate
The main gate of Changdeokgung Palace has a gate tower with 5 rooms on the front and 2 rooms on the side, and is a house with a hip roof. It was built in 1412, and a bell was hung to tell the time the following year, 1413. Afterwards, it was destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasions of Korea, but restoration began in 1607 and was completed in 1609, and has been preserved to this day.
Injeongjeon. This place was built in 1405, rebuilt in the first year of King Sejong’s reign, and then burned down during the Japanese invasions of Korea. Afterwards, restoration work began during the reign of King Seonjo, and it was rebuilt in the first year of King Gwanghaegun, replacing the devastated Geunjeongjeon in Gyeongbokgung Palace, where it became a place to hold national ceremonies. It is a location where nobles sent New Year’s greetings to the king, performed national rituals, and hosted foreign envoys.
Injeongjeon’s inside ceiling features two gilded Oriental phoenixes, which are easy to miss. The map also has an engraving of a phoenix. There are two wooden phoenix sculptures attached, highlighting its status as an elegant space. Unfortunately, the inside of Injeongjeon is not frequently available to the public in order to protect its cultural heritage. If you’re lucky, you may see it!
Seonjeongjeon. This is where the king would typically attend national matters and interact with nobles. The building’s name means “to spread good politics and education.” It is the only palace building with a blue tile roof. This is because, when it was restored in 1647, Ingyeonggung Palace was demolished during King Injo’s reign, the majority of the buildings were used to rebuild Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung Palaces, including Seonjeonjeon Hall, which has a blue tile roof. These unique blue tiles are stunning.
Heejeongdang. ‘Heejeong’ literally translates as ‘to shine in politics.’ There are numerous ideas on the purpose of Huijeongdang. The current accepted opinion is that ‘it was the king’s bedchamber, but in the late Joseon Dynasty, it changed into a private residence for the government’, and most materials also introduce it that way.
Must-see things in the secret garden
Juhamru
As one of the pavilions of the pond at Changdeokgung Palace, it is a multi-story pavilion with an octagonal roof. It was built in 1776. It was originally a place to store the writings and appeals of past kings. It was a place where King Jeongjo trained talented people and supported his reign, but it suffered hardships such as being used as a banquet hall during the Japanese colonial period.
Eosumun Gate, the gate leading to Juhapnu, is a building that shows a very unique appearance along with the Chwibyeong, and is a valuable example of an abundance of architectural designs that were almost lost in the Joseon Dynasty. The shape of the gates on both sides of the Eosumun Gate is also unique, and elaborate carvings surround the inside and outside of the Eosumun Gate.
Aelyeonjeong. ‘Aeryeon’ translates to ‘love lotus flower’. The name was derived from “Love Story,” a work produced by Zhou Dunyi, a Neo-Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty.
In his essay “Aeryeonjeonggi,” King Sukjong wrote about Aeryeonjeong: “The lotus flower does not change even in a dirty place, stands tall and is not biased, and its integrity is firm, clear, and clean, and it has the virtue of a gentleman.” Because he adored these lotus blossoms, he named the pavilion Aeryeonjeong.
Cheonguijeong . Cheonguijeong is a pavilion located in the Okryucheon area of garden. It is the only remaining thatched-roof building in Changdeokgung Palace. It is the oldest of Korea’s thatched pavilions.
There is a rice field in front of the pavilion. Rice was planted here, and after harvesting, rice straw was used to connect the thatch of the roof of the pavilion. This was done to feel the hardship of the people and to remind them of the importance of farming.
It takes at least 1 hour and 30 minutes to visit the palace and gardens, and I believe 3 to 4 hours is enough. Enjoy!
If you want to see something closer to the palace, I recommend Hyehwa, which is a 15-minute walk from the palace! Please refer to the link below for articles about Hyehwa.