by Matthew Jackson The story which surrounds the building of the Hwaseong fortress is an extraordinary one. The fortress was originally built as part of the new Suwon city, a project initiated by King Chongjo. King Chongjo (or King Jeongjo, depending on your preferred romanization) had been greatly devoted to his father, Sado Seja, who … [Read More]
UNESCO Heritage: Hwaseong Fortress
The Shining Fortress part 1: its construction
by Matthew Jackson The official report by the advisors to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee concluded that the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress “represents the pinnacle of 18th century military architecture, incorporating the best of that from Europe and from the Far East. As such it has a unique historical importance”. What makes Hwaseong special? Following the editor’s … [Read More]
The LKL Korea Trip 2009 pt 2: Suwon and Prince Sado’s tomb
Thursday 16 July Today the plan is to get a few UNESCO world heritage points: the Hwaseong Fortress at Suwon, followed maybe by the nearby folk village. From my base in Insadong, a one-hour tube journey direct from Jonggak station on Line 1 takes me to Suwon, armed with my guide books. A moment of … [Read More]
Making History Part 3 – Uigwe
By Matthew Jackson It occasioned the UNESCO inspectors no little surprise when they came to inspect the restoration of the Hwaseong fortress, in order to verify its resemblance to the original complex. They were shown an exhaustive eight volume report documenting its original construction, prepared at the time it was built around two hundred years … [Read More]