Hwaseong Fortress facts for kids

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 had he wanted the fortress to do. He 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.

Images for kids

Map of the fortress
The wall of Hwaseong Fortress
A depiction of Hwaseong Fortress, published in the Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe (1801)
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
South Secret Gate
N-E Pavillon and Pond
S. Observation Tower
South Flood Gate
Beacon
east: Dong-GunTower 東砲樓
north-east: Bukdong-GunTower 北東砲樓
north-west: Bukseo-GunTower 北西砲樓
west: Seo-GunTower 西砲樓
south: Nam-GunTower 南砲樓
east2: Dong2-SentryPost 東二鋪樓
east1: Dong1-SentryPost 東一鋪樓
east-north: Dongbuk-SentryPost 東北鋪樓
north: Buk-SentryPost 北鋪樓
west: Seo-SentryPost 西鋪樓
South face and ongseong seen without traffic
East face in the evening
West face at dusk
Seen across rooftops from Dongnam Gangnu
South Secret Gate
South Observation Tower
The Suwoncheon at the site of Namsumun, 2008
Namsumun
The exterior of the South-East Pavilion
The north side of the pavilion
View at night
The South-East Pavilion as it appears in the Uigwe
The exterior of the East Turret No. 3
Looking towards Dongnam Gangnu
The south-east corner
The steps
The exterior
Uigwe picture
North side
Seen from Dong-i Chi
Doorway
From the wall
Northern chimneys from inside
Southern chimney from inside
The exterior
Uigwe picture
The north side
The exterior
The entrance
Seen from Dong-i Chi
Seen through a hole in Dong-i Chi
The exterior
Uigwe picture
Inside the turret
The exterior
Looking south from the post
The exterior
Uigwe picture
The western face
Nighttime view of the western face
The southern side
The eastern face
Seen from outside
Seen from outside
Inside face seen from the south
The north corner of the outside face
Dongbuk Nodae and Dongbuk Gongsimdon seen from outside the walls
Uigwe picture
From the east
From the south-west
Nighttime view from the south-west
Nighttime closeup from the south-west
From outside the walls
Internal spiral staircase seen through window from outside
Uigwe picture
The southern side
Nighttime view of the southern side
The eastern side
Annexe just below the main building
Gateway on the western side
Outside face
Outside face seen from the north-east
Door seen from outside
Inside face
Interior seen from the west
The interior seen from the wall to the west
The exterior seen from the wall to the west
Uigwe picture
Uigwe picture
The gate and the north-east pavilion
The gate seen from the walls
Outside face
Inside face
Uigwe picture
Daytime view
Nighttime view
Seen from the Suwoncheon
Closeup
Seen from Yongyeon
Outflow from Yongyeon a few metres downstream from Hwahongmun
Level view
Closeup of wall
Uigwe picture
The north side
From the path beside the Suwoncheon (upstream)
The north side in snow
View downstream
The south side in snow
Uigwe picture
From the west
The west side
Uigwe picture
From the wall
See from the west in snow
Outside
Nighttime view of the interior face
Nighttime view of the roof
Seen from Bukseo Jeokdae
Seen from Bukseo Jeokdae in snow
The ongseong
View from inside Janganmun
The west side
The west side
The south side
The roof
The exterior
Uigwe picture
The west side
The east side
Seen from outside
Uigwe picture
From outside Hwaseomun in snow
From the wall
Hwaseomun and the tower
From the south-west
Uigwe picture
From outside the walls in snow
Hwaseomun, Bukseo Poru, Buk Poru and Janganmun
Nighttime view
From the south
The inside face in snow
The inside face in snow
The inside face
The west side
A corner of the pavilion
Seen from outside the walls in snow
Seen from outside
View from Seobuk Gangnu
The interior
Uigwe picture
The south side
The turret and Seobuk Gangnu
The interior
Seobuk Gangnu (left) and Seoil Chi (right)
The south side
The exterior
The exterior
Uigwe picture
The south side
The interior
The Exterior
Seen from the front
Seen from the side
Original piece of wall by Seonodae
Uigwe picture
Nighttime view
Daytime view
View from Seonodae
Interior side
The outside
Closeup of door
Uigwe picture
The south side
Steps
Panelling
The south side
The entrance
The interior
Seen from outside
Seen from the spur (Original wall visible)
The upper section
Seen from Yongdo
Seen from outside
Uigwe picture
From the upper section of Seonam Ammun
Looking north-east from Seonam Gangnu
Looking north-east to Seonam Ammun
View from Seonam Gangnu
The spur's western turret
From the south
Seonam Gangnu at the end of the spur
Flooring
Uigwe picture
The spur's eastern turret
The east side
The west side
Seen from outside
Uigwe picture
The west side
Closeup from the west
Haenggung seen from near Naeposa
The east face
During a festival
The east face
The east side
Nighttime view of Bongsudang
Seen from near Sinpungnu
The east side seen from near Jwaikmun
The west side seen from Gyeongnyonggwan
Front view
Side view
Temple below the statue
Details of the pillar
The south-east corner of Unhangak
The south side of Jeonsacheong
Unhangak at night
King Jeongjo's portrait in Unhangak
Repair work by Seojangdae
Repair work by Nam Poru
Repair work on Dongbuk Gongsimdon

Hwaseong Fortress facts for kids

Images for kids

See also