With our limited time in Korea, we wanted to get a little taste of the history and culture of the country. If we would have stayed longer, we probably would have gone to a few more palaces, taken a bus tour of the city, or visited the DMZ. Of the many palaces around the city, we chose this one because, even though it's not the largest, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Most of the palaces are set out on a grid and have parallel lines. This one is set to be in harmony with a mountain (hill) it is on. We walked around the main part and then took an English tour of the secret gardens.
It was beautiful and the architecture was pretty amazing, considering some of the buildings were pretty old. Due to the Confucianism influences, the palaces were meant to be functional and not overly-ornate, keeping everything in harmony and in balance. Of course the kings lived in luxury and basically sat around and studied and practiced martial arts, but it was nice to see the different philosophy manifest itself in the royal architecture. There have obviously been stages of renovation and restoration (in this part of the world, there are phases of occupation, building burning, rebuilding, etc.). One thing I was impressed with was the underfloor heating system they used. The had a room where they contained a fire and then drew the smoke underneath the raised floors to heat the rooms.
A 700 year old Juniper tree.
The main gate to the library (upper right on the top of the hill). This gate was for the king. The side gates were for the court and were intentionally made small to make them bow as they went through.
The throne room building.
I can't imagine what this place looks like in the spring with all the blossoms or the fall with all the colors. It must be pretty impressive.
No comments:
Post a Comment