Hwaseong Fortress & Haenggung

The same day I went to the Suwon Folk Village, I also went to Hwaseong Fortress (Brilliant Castle). Hwaseong Fortress surrounds the centre of the city Suwon. This fortress was built from 1794 to 1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty to house and honour the remains of his father, the mad Prince Sado, who'd been murdered by being locked alive inside a rice chest by his own father King Yeongjo after failing to obey the command to commit suicide. Located about 19 miles south of Seoul and enclosing much of central Suwon, the Fortress includes King Jeongjo's palace Haenggung. 

We didn't have the time to walk the 3.5 mile length of the wall, so we just visited Haenggung. Haenggung, meaning detached palace, is a palace built within the walls of Hwaseong to house King Jeongjo when he was away from his palace in Seoul worshipping at his father's tomb. When he was not in residence it was used by his delegated official as a base of government. The palace was built in 1789, but was later expanded to house 600 compartments and in doing so became the largest haenggung in Korea. This detached palace is a collection of 22 buildings, excluding the servants' quarters, arranged in a rectangular layout. The entrance to the palace from the centre of town is the main gate, Singpungnu.

This place wasn't just built as a memorial for the mad Prince Sado, but also as a response to the collapse of the Korean front during the Imjin war. It is believed to have been built very scientifically using bricks, pulleys and levers. The wall was built with holes between the bricks just big enough to fire guns or arrows through in case of an attack.

Yeomingak (Bell Pavilion). Bell towers are only established in capital cities. King Jeongjo established Yeomingak with the hope of moving the capital from Seoul to Suwon. This bell pavilion is located in front of Haenggung palace.

Flags at the entrance.

If a TV show or movie/drama has been filmed at a specific location, they like to put up signs. Maybe as a claim to fame or to increase interest in historical sites? This particular one is for a show called "One Night Two Days."

Picture with the palace guard. Why oh why did I choose to stand behind the tall people? 

Royal stamp anyone? 

 

I love these rooftops.

There's a bronze censer and container located on the corners of the King's office. This container holding water and was thought to ward off evil fire-causing spirits. These buildings were made predominantly of wood, therefore easy to catch on fire. I believe these are located at all the palaces.

King's quarters

Attendants

Kitchen

A mural portraying the King's procession.

Up by the fortress wall.

Great view of Haenggung palace and the city of Suwon.

Pounded tteok...specifically injeolmi (tteok coated with red bean powder or roasted soybean powder). It is made by pounding glutinous rice with a huge hammer.

Injeolmi. Be careful not to inhale the powder or take too big of a bite or you may find your teeth glued together.

When we returned to Daejeon that evening, we went to Unhaeng-dong (old downtown) for dinner at an Italian restaurant, the Flying Pan. The lasagna was pretty good. We got free pizza with our order, but why in the world do they serve pickles as a side dish? I know this is Korea and they like their pickled vegetables here, but pickles do not belong with Italian food. Sacrilegious! Seriously people.