|
| |
 Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon City, Gyeonggi-do Province, represents the latest
features of fortification in Korea. The construction was planned by the 22nd
king of the Joseon Dynasty, Jeongjo, when he moved his father's tomb from the
Yangju area to Mt. Paldalsan in Suwon County in 1789. The fortress construction
was started along Mt. Paldalsan in January 1794 and completed in June 1796,
under the supervision of Chae Jae-gong, a former minister and the magistrate of
Yeongjungchubu County.
The fortress sprawls on both flatland
and hilly terrain, something seldom seen in neighboring China and Japan. It is
designed to serve political and commercial as well as military functions. Under
the influence of Silhak, or Practical Learning, which was the new trend of
thought gaining ground at the time, the fortress was built scientifically
utilizing newly invented construction equipment. Fortification facilities were
enhanced by properly combining
stones, bricks, and wood and by
incorporating drainage, rampart slit embrasures, crenellated parapets with
embrasures, and bastions. The Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe (Archives of the
Construction of Hwaseong Fortress) was published in 1801. It records every
detail of the project, from blueprints to engineering methods, required
materials, workforce, budget, timetable, and so on.
The Hwaseong
Fortress envelops downtown Suwon City in a huge ellipse running a total of 5.52
km. There are 41 existing facilities along the perimeter, including four
cardinal gates (Paldalmun, Janganmun, Changnyongmun, and Hwaseomun), one sumun
(floodgate), four ammun (secret gates), four jeokdae (gateguard platforms), two
gongsimdon (observation towers), two jangdae (command posts), two nodae
(multiple-arrow-launcher platforms), five posa (firearms bastions), five poru
(sentry towers), four gangnu (angle towers), one bongdon (beacon tower), and
nine chi (bastions). Each structure well harmonizes architectural splendor and
function on a key strategic spot.
The fortress was registered on the
UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in December 1997.
 Back to List |
