Suwon Hwaseong, World Heritage Site in Korea

Suwon City is located 35 km south of Seoul. Suwon Hwaseong (Suwon Hwaseong Fortress ) is located in Suwon City and was built at the end of the 18th century by King Jeongjo, the 22nd king of the Joseon, who moved the tomb of his father, Crown Prince Sado, to this site.It is highly regarded as a military structure that introduced European technology.

Here, a World Heritage enthusiast explains why Suwon Hwaseong is a World Heritage Site in an easy-to-understand manner.Read this and you will definitely learn more about Suwon Hwaseong!

What is Suwon Hwaseong?

35m south of the capital city of Seoul, Suwon City in Gyeonggi Province is home to a magnificent fortress made of stone and brick that was so beloved by King Jeongjo, the 22nd king of the Joseon and famous for the MBC drama “Lee San,” that he moved the tomb of his father, Crown Prince Sado, to this site. Suwon Hwaseong was built to protect the tomb of Crown Prince Sado, and is surrounded by a 5.74-km long fortress wall, most of which remains intact.

Some of the land here is flat and some hilly, but it is unique in that the fortress was built using the topography. Towers, gun emplacements, and a hoist tower were set up on the city walls, and four large gates were built on the east, west, north, south, and west sides. The south gate is unique in that it has a two-story turret built on a stone foundation.

Despite being a fortress, Suwon Hwaseong was sometimes used as a palace (Hwaseong palace), an inn for the king. Quite different from Chinese and Japanese fortresses, it was a major influence on the architectural style of Korea. It was designed by Chŏng Yagyong, a practical scholar. He built it with the latest technology of the time while combining a residence and a fortress. Suwon Hwaseong was built by combining the latest European architectural technology with traditional Korean style.

Later, World War II and the Korean War destroyed parts of Suwon Hwaseong. However, the records of its construction, remained, and based on these records, it was restored to almost the same state as it was when it was built.

For what reason is Suwon Hwaseong registered as a World Heritage site?

Suwon Hwaseong was recognized for the following

Registration Criteria (ii)
The point is that European architectural techniques were combined with traditional Korean styles to create the best military architecture of the 18th century.

Registration Criteria (iii)
That Suwon Hwaseong is a building that shows the rapid development of society and building technology in Korea in the 18th century.

Conclusions and Impressions of a World Heritage Maniac

Suwon Hwaseong is a military fortress that is a fusion of East and West, with Korean-style decoration but with the architectural techniques of European fortifications. It is also appreciated for the fact that it shows that architectural technology had improved considerably during this period and that the country was becoming economically affluent.

Incidentally, King Jeongjo is also famous for the MBC drama “Lee San”. He is actually famous as a great monarch. Suwon appears in the play, and he actually loved Suwon so much that he was thinking of moving the capital from Seoul. However, he died just before he did so, and Seoul was made the capital as it was, according to history.

*The content here is a discussion derived from research by World Heritage enthusiasts.As for the data, interpretation differs depending on the media.