Gungnaeseong () or Guonei () was the capital of the ancient Korean kingdom of

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

, which was located in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. The perimeter of its outer fortress measures 2,686m. It is located in present day

Ji'an Ji'an ( zh, c=吉安 , p=Jí'ān) is a prefecture-level city situated in the central region of Jiangxi province of the People's Republic of China and bordering Hunan province to the west. It has an area of and as of the 2020 census, had a popu ...

city,

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

province, northeast China. Because of its historical importance and exceptional architecture, Gungnae was designated as a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in 2004. It is part of the Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom World Heritage Site, together with nearby Hwando Mountain City and the Onyeosan City, in modern

northeast China Northeast China () is a geographical region of China, consisting officially of three provinces Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The heartland of the region is the Northeast China Plain, the largest plain in China with an area of over . The regi ...

History

Gungnae was chosen to become the capital city by the ruler, Yuri during the 10th month of the year 3 AD. The city was sacked several times until the rise of the 19th ruler,

Gwanggaeto the Great Gwanggaeto the Great (374–412, r. 391–412) was the nineteenth monarch of Goguryeo. His full posthumous name means "Entombed in ''Gukgangsang'', Broad Expander of Domain, Peacemaker, Supreme King", sometimes abbreviated to ''Hotaewang'' ...

, who greatly expanded

's territory and made it a formidable power in northeast Asia. When King Gwanggaeto died in 413, his son,

Jangsu of Goguryeo Jangsu (394–491, r. 412–491) was the 20th monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was born in 394 as the eldest son of Gwanggaeto. He became the crown prince in 409, and upon his father's death in 412, became ...

, inherited the throne and moved the capital down to

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

in 427. The city played a central role of the kingdom after the power transfer.Ho-tae Cheon, 《The Dreams of the Living and Hopes of the Dead:Goguryeo Tomb Murals》, Seoul National University Press, 2007. p.4, p.10 Just before the fall of Goguryeo, Gungnae City fell to the

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

- Tang Chinese alliance when General

Yeon Namsaeng Yeon Namsaeng (; 634–679) was the eldest son of the Goguryeo ' (대막리지, 大莫離支; highest-ranking official or dictator; "prime minister") Yeon Gaesomun (603? – 665). In 665, Yeon Namsaeng succeeded his father and became the 2nd Dae ...

, son of

Yeon Gaesomun Yeon GaesomunSome Chinese and Korean sources stated that his surname was Yeongae () and personal name was Somun (), but the majority of sources suggest a one-syllable surname and a three-syllable personal name. (; 594–666) was a powerful mili ...

, surrendered the city in 666. Goguryeo fell in 668 when the Tang army captured Pyongyang and took King Bojang and

Yeon Namgeon Yeon Namgeon (淵男建, 연남건) (635 ~ ?연개소문의 맏아들인 연남생이 634년에 탄생했고 막내아들인 연남산이 639년 출생했으므로 적어도 1년 이상 차이가 난다.) was the second son of the Goguryeo mili ...

into custody.Northeast History Foundation, "Journal of Northeast Asian History" Vol.4 1-2. 2007. p.181

Gallery

File:Statues and Gungnae Fortress (GuoNei Fortress).JPG, Modern statues in the ruins File:Stretch of Gungnae Fortress Wall (GuoNei Fortress).JPG, City wall File:Corner of Gungnae Fortress (GuoNei Fortress).JPG, A corner of the ruins

References

{{Jilin topics Capitals of former nations Archaeological sites in China Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Jilin Ancient Korean cities Former capitals of Korea World Heritage Sites in China Goguryeo fortresses