Changgyeonggung 창경궁

This is part of my Palace Visit Project. This time the Changyeonggung (창경궁) which is located near Hyewha station. Indeed it's near Hyewha station (line 4) but when you get inside I discovered that it is connected to the Changdeok Palace (창덕궁) which is located near Anguk station. If you can see the subway map, Anguk and Hyewha stations have a big space between. It means that these 2 palaces are connected in between the 2 stations mentioned. ^^ Funny though because I never imagined going to Anguk through Hyewha or vice versa because these places seem to be very far from each other.
Anyway, so me and my friend arrived around 10 in the morning. I guess we were in a perfect timing since there were not so many tourists in the area, especially the Hyewha area which is normally congested. From the station there were no signs pointing how to go to the palace. We asked someone but she told us a very complicated way which was to ride a bus blah blah. I googled the directions before coming and it says we will only walk for 15 minutes. So we tried walking but after 5 minutes we already saw the palace^^ lol
The entrance fee was 1,000 won. Which is very cheap. Anyway some information about the palace. King Seonjong, built the palace for the 3 dowager queens when Changdeokgung became too crowded. This palace is also know as Donggwol or the East Palace.
According to sources, East Asian main hall of a palace was built facing south and buildings were laid out along north-south axis. However, Changyeonggung is unusual since the main hall faces East. Because of this it accommodated the area's topography in a nice way. The architecture is also said to emphasized everyday convenience or practicality.
This palace was a symbol of the Joseon Dynasty but lost its supreme status as a royal palace during the Japanese invasion wherein most of the palace structures were removed and replaced with a zoo and botanical garden. As you can see in one of the pictures, the white structure that looks like a European structure is the botanical garden. This structure can be seen from the Changdeok Palace.

Some tips for future visitors: take exit 4 of Hyehwa station and walk for 5-10 minutes depending on your pace. Then when you get to the palace, look at the map. Since the palace is huge, the parts are numbered. Just follow the order of numbers as your itinerary. There are no guides so you can freely roam the palace at your own but you might be wasting your time if you don't follow the order^^

Palace Visit Project: Changdeokgung 창덕궁

I've always wanted to visit the palaces in Seoul. I've seen Gyeongbokgung (경복궁) for like a million times but I haven't seen the other palaces. I've also visited Cheongwadae (청와대) or the Blue House (I'll feature it in my next blog) which is the official residence of the President of Korea. So as part of my Palace Visit Project ^^, I've decided to visit Changdeokgung with my friend.

My friend Gino (not he's real name but that's how I call him since his name sounds like this) and I met in Anguk station (안국역) of the orange line/line 3. It was also Gino's first time to visit the place eventhough he is a Korean. We were shocked with the number of Japanese tourists visiting the palace. Translations in Japanese, English and Korean were available but in a specific time frame so if you happen to come during a Japanese translation alloted time then it's either you wait or you just go with the Japanese group, like what we did. Since I can understand Japanese it was still fine although we didn't really listen to the guide ^^;

Considered as one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. The location being east of Gyeongbok Palace (the main palace), Changdeokgung, with Changgyeongung (next target ^^), is also referred to as the East Palace. Literally the meaning of Changdeokgung(昌德宮) is "Palace of Prospering Virtue."The place was indeed enormous. The palace architecture is said to have an asymmetric beauty that is unique to Korea.This palace is another "must visit" place in Seoul, not just for being part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage but because I visited it (lol) and the fee's not expensive, only 3,000 won. However, this is already the most expensive among the palaces, since other palaces only cost a thousand won or for free ^^

Here are some of the places and pictures

Nakseonji

Seonjeongjeon Hall - An office for ruling officials, the king held daily meetings with ministers, reported on state affairs and seminars here.

Huijeongdang Hall - Originally the king's bed chamber, it became his workplace after Seonjeongjeon was deemed too small for conducting routine state affairs.

Daejojeon Hall - Official residence of the queen. Destroyed by fire in 1917, it was rebuilt with materials taken from Gyeongbokgung. Daejojeon was used as a residence for the last empress of Joseon, allowing us a glimpse into the final years of the royal household of the Joseon Dynasty.

Juhamnu Pavilion or the Kyujanggak- Royal libraries stood in this area. State exams were conducted in front of the pavilion on special occasions in presence of the king.