Hwaseong Fortress

Hwaseong Fortress (Korean: Suwonhwaseong) is the wall that surrounds the centre of Suwon. Suwon is the capital city of Gyeonggi-do, a province in South Korea. The fortress was built by Jeongjo, the 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty.

The wall is about 6 km long and it has four gates.

Jeongjo wanted to show loyalty to his family. He wanted to protect his father's burial place. He wanted to strengthen his power and protect the southern area of Suwon. He also wanted to reduce conflict between different political parties.

Construction started near Mount Paldalsan in January 1794. Construction was finished in September 1796. Chae Jae-gong supervised the building process. Chae Jae-gong was a former minister in the government and the magistrate of Yeongjungchubu County. Engineers made new tools to help build the fortress. The Geojunggi was one of these new tools. It is a traditional Korean crane. They also made potter's wheels were created. They were used to move and put together large stones for the wall.

After the original fortress was finished in 1801, a construction archive called the Hwaseong Seongyeokuigwe was published. This archive recorded what the fortress was like when it was first built. This helped construction workers know how to rebuild the fortress after it was damaged, so it would look like the original wall.

The fortress was partly damaged twice. First, it was damaged when Japan controlled Korea in the early 20th century. The fortress was also damaged during the Korean War. Today, most of its original features have been restored.

The fortress is on both flat and hilly lands. This is uncommon in neighbouring China and Japan.

The fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hwaseong Fortress Media

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  Map of Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon, South Korea*Self-made

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  The wall of Hwaseong Fortress

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  A depiction of Hwaseong Fortress, published in the Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe (1801)

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  The location of the South Gate (A) with the missing structures of Hwaseong; B:South-East Gate Guard Platforms; C:South Observation Tower; D:South Floodgate

References