Hwaseong Fortress facts for kids

Hwaseong Fortress, a famous wall in South Korea.

Hwaseong Fortress (Korean: Suwonhwaseong) is a big wall that goes around the middle of Suwon. Suwon is the main city of Gyeonggi-do province in South Korea. King Jeongjo, who was the 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty, had this fortress built.

The wall is about 6 kilometers (almost 4 miles) long. It has four main gates. King Jeongjo wanted the fortress for several important reasons. He wanted to show how much he cared for his family. He also wanted to protect his father's burial site. The king also aimed to make his power stronger and keep the southern part of Suwon safe. Building the fortress also helped reduce fights between different political groups.

Building the Fortress
- New Tools for Construction
After Construction
- Damage and Restoration
- Unique Design
World Heritage Site
Images for kids
See also

Building the Fortress

Construction of Hwaseong Fortress began near Mount Paldalsan. Work started in January 1794 and was finished by September 1796. Chae Jae-gong was in charge of the building project. He was a former government minister and a local leader.

New Tools for Construction

Engineers created new tools to help build the fortress faster and better. One important tool was the Geojunggi. This was a special Korean crane. They also made large potter's wheels. These wheels were used to move and lift the big stones needed for the wall.

After Construction

After the fortress was completed in 1801, a special book was published. This book was called the Hwaseong Seongyeokuigwe. It recorded everything about how the fortress was built. This detailed record was very helpful later on. It showed workers exactly how to rebuild the fortress if it ever got damaged. This way, it would always look like the original wall.

Damage and Restoration

Hwaseong Fortress was partly damaged two times in history. First, it was hurt when Japan controlled Korea in the early 1900s. Later, it was damaged again during the Korean War. Today, most of the fortress has been fixed and looks like it did when it was first built.

Unique Design

The fortress is built on both flat ground and hills. This design is quite special. It is not common for fortresses in nearby China and Japan to be built this way.

World Heritage Site

Hwaseong Fortress is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. This means it is a very important place that should be protected for everyone to enjoy.

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