Changdeokgung Palace

Changdeokgung was built in 1405 as a secondary palace, yet it became the palace where Joseon kings spent the most time. Instead of the strict symmetry of Gyeongbokgung on the flat ground, its halls follow the slopes of a spur of Bugaksan mountain, so buildings and landscape blend into one another. That is exactly why UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1997; the protected complex covers about 58 hectares.

History: the palace that stood in for Gyeongbokgung

When King Taejong returned to Seoul in 1405, he built this palace rather than move back into Gyeongbokgung, and lived here. Gyeongbokgung remained the official main palace, but many later kings preferred Changdeokgung. One explanation is that Taejong disliked Gyeongbokgung, the place where he had killed his half-brothers in a struggle for the throne and a palace built under his rival Jeong Do-jeon. The name means "palace of prospering virtue", and together with neighbouring Changgyeonggung it was known as the Eastern Palace.

After all of Seoul's palaces burned during the Japanese invasions of 1592, Changdeokgung was rebuilt first and from around 1610 served as the de facto main palace for about 258 years, until Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt in 1868. Injeongjeon and the other main halls were the first to be restored, in 1609. The palace was badly damaged again during the 1623 coup that put King Injo on the throne, and in 1704 King Sukjong built an altar, Daebodan, in the rear garden. King Injo rebuilt it in 1647 and added pavilions and ponds to the rear garden. King Jeongjo arranged Buyongjeong, Juhamnu and library buildings around Buyongji pond, turning the garden into a place of study, and later Crown Prince Hyomyeong built Yeongyeongdang and King Heonjong Nakseonjae, giving the garden its present form. In the late Joseon period electric lights and even a garage were installed. In 1907 Emperor Sunjong moved here, making it the palace of Korea's last emperor, and members of the royal family went on living in the palace well after 1945.

What to see

• Donhwamun: first built in 1412; the present gate was rebuilt from 1607 and completed in 1609. It is the oldest surviving main palace gate in Korea and the only one five bays wide.
• Geumcheongyo and Injeongjeon: cross the stone bridge and two gates to the throne hall. The rank stones in the courtyard date from King Jeongjo's reign.
• Huijeongdang and Daejojeon: the royal living quarters. After a major fire in 1917 they were rebuilt using buildings taken down at Gyeongbokgung.
• Nakseonjae: built by King Heonjong without the usual painted decoration, it looks more like a scholar's house than a palace.
• The Secret Garden (Huwon): the classic view is Buyongji pond with Buyongjeong pavilion and Juhamnu above it. Forest paths lead on to Aeryeonji, Gwallamji and Yeongyeongdang, and deepest inside is Ongnyucheon, a stream channel made in 1636.

Good to know

• Several old trees are designated natural monuments: the scholar trees by Donhwamun (No. 472), a juniper near the old Seonwonjeon (No. 194), a hardy kiwi vine at the back of the Secret Garden (No. 251) and a mulberry at the Gwallamji entrance (No. 471).
• Gyujanggak, the royal library King Jeongjo founded in 1776, stood in the palace grounds and grew into a state research institute.
• Most buildings burned during the 1623 coup, but the throne hall Injeongjeon survived.
• The Ongnyucheon area was closed in 1979 to protect its ecology and reopened by reservation in 2004.
• The main gate sits at the south-west corner rather than the centre because of the slope and the position of Jongmyo shrine.
• The palace first opened to the public in 1912, together with Changgyeonggung. Since 2010 the palace halls have been open for free wandering, while the Secret Garden is visited in timed slots.
• Donhwamun was designated a Treasure of Korea in 1963.
• Around each full moon of the lunar calendar, the "Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour" leads visitors through the palace at night.

Tripto tips

• Closed on Mondays.
• Opening hours: Feb–May and Sep–Oct 09:00–18:00, Jun–Aug 09:00–18:30, Nov–Jan 09:00–17:30; last entry one hour before closing.
• Tickets: KRW 3,000 for the palace and KRW 5,000 extra for the Secret Garden, which cannot be booked without a palace ticket. Visitors in hanbok enter the palace area free.
• Secret Garden tours: each slot takes 100 people (50 online, 50 on site). English tours run at 10:30, 11:30 and 14:30 from December to February, with an extra 15:30 tour from March to November. Online slots sell out fast in spring and autumn.
• Getting there: about 5 minutes on foot from Anguk Station, exit 3 (Line 3). There is no parking.
• Time needed: about an hour for the halls; with a Secret Garden tour allow 2.5–3 hours.
• A combined ticket covers Jongmyo and the four main palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung).
• Hamyangmun gate leads straight into neighbouring Changgyeonggung. Late October to early November, when the garden turns red and gold, is the busiest time.