Changdeokgung Palace (창덕궁)

June 7, 2020

Above you just saw Jung Il Woo at Changdeokgung Palace. It is a photo composition I created as we are going to go there! Ready to travel? Here we go!

This was my favorite of all the palaces I visited. It was absolutely gorgeous! It is a World Heritage Site and has a “secret garden” that is so… heavenly! According to Wikipedia its name means “Prospering Virtue Palace” and also the “East Palace.” and the following description comes from ‘Imagine your Korea’ website. THIS site is great to get all the current information if you are planning to go.

“Changdeokgung Palace was the second royal villa built following the construction of Gyeongbukgung Palace in 1405. It was the principal palace for many kings of the Joseon dynasty, and is the most well-preserved of the five remaining royal Joseon palaces. The palace grounds are comprised of a public palace area, a royal family residence building, and the rear garden. Known as a place of rest for the kings, the rear garden boasts a gigantic tree that is over 300 years old, a small pond and a pavilion.

The palace gained importance starting from the time of Seongjong, the 9th king of Joseon, when a number of kings began using it as a place of residence. Unfortunately, the palace was burned down by angry citizens in 1592 when the royal family fled their abode during the Japanese invasion of Korea. Thanks to Gwanghaegun, the palace was restored in 1611. Even today, it houses a number of cultural treasures, such as Injeongjeon Hall, Daejojeon Hall, Seonjeongjeon Hall, and Nakseonjae.

Changdeokgung Palace’s rear garden was constructed during the reign of King Taejong and served as a resting place for the royal family members. The garden had formerly been called Bukwon and Geumwon, but was renamed Biwon after King Kojong came into power. The garden was kept as natural as possible and was touched by human hands only when absolutely necessary. Buyongjeong, Buyongji, Juhabru, Eosumun, Yeonghwadang, Bullomun, Aeryeonjeong, and Yeongyeongdang are some of the many pavilions and fountains that occupy the garden. The most beautiful time to see the garden is during the fall when the autumn foliage is at its peak and the leaves have just started to fall.

Though it has been treasured by Koreans for centuries, Changdeokgung Palace was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site by the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Committee in December of 1997 during the committee meeting in Naples, Italy. “

History

This is its brief history taken from its Official website:

Getting there

I messed up getting to this palace because I got confused with the another palace that has a very similar name: Changgyeonggung Palace. So I ended up going through this palace first to get to Changdeokgung. I should have notice all the g difference! ^ ^ So don’t get confused! This is a really good map to get to this palace also from its Official website. By the way directions by bus and car are available on that last link too.

This was the brochure I got when I visited:

But I’m going to use this map by the Cultural Heritage Administration. It has a nice description for each place.

I visited only a few places because of my mess up and my limited time… so I will use images and descriptions of this website to fill in the rest!

This is the King’s Residence. But the King would also work informally here. The entrance to this building was my favorite structure… I spent a lot of time admiring all its details and took many photos… including two young ladies that made it even more real to me…

WOOait… did I see a prince there…

By the way if you are wondering… all these photos of Ilwoo come from the drama “The Night Watchman Journal.” In it he wore the most gorgeous hanboks…in every color!

Yes… it was so intricate and colorful! Imagine how long it takes to paint it! !!!

Here he is again… ready?

And

I’m not sure about the last building but to see the next three sites you have to book a tour of the “Huwon” or “Secret Garden.” I recommend you do it at least two months before your trip if you are going on a busy tourist time. I was lucky to get mine about a month before because it was early June. Is it worth it? YES!!! It was one of the parts I enjoyed the most… it is absolutely exquisite!!!

I took one of the best photos of my trip in this pond… a bird happened to land right on the branch as I was about to take the photo… and he started to sing… It reminded me of the King and the Nightingale somehow…