Gyeongjueupseong (), also called Gyeongju Eupseong Fortress, is a

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

-era

walled town The following cities have, or historically had, defensive walls. Africa Algeria * Algiers * Ghardaïa * Timimoun Egypt See List of Egypt castles, forts, fortifications and city walls. * Al-Fustat * Cairo * Damietta Ethiopia * Harar Libya *Apo ...

(') in

Gyeongju Gyeongju (, ), historically known as Seorabeol (, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of ...

, South Korea. On January 21, 1963, it was made a Historic Site of South Korea. The town was continually occupied from the Goryeo to

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

periods. It was demolished by the Japanese colonial government in the 20th century. Beginning in the 2010s, the walled town has been gradually restored to its pre-colonial state. It has since become a tourist attraction.

History

Construction began on the town in 1012 (

Korean calendar Throughout its many years of history, various calendar systems have been used in Korea. Many of them were adopted from the Lunar calendar, lunar Chinese calendar system, with modifications occasionally made to accommodate Korea's geographic locat ...

), during the

period. It is not known precisely when it was completed. It began with earthen fortifications, which were later converted to stone. It was rebuilt in 1378. During the reign of

Sejong the Great Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

(r. 1418–1450) in the

period, the town was possibly renovated amidst nationwide renovation projects. It was damaged during the 1592–1598

Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

. It was renovated soon afterwards. It continued to be occupied, renovated, and repaired until the end of the Joseon period; one such repair effort occurred in 1870. The town's use ended during the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period. Under orders of the Japanese colonial government, it was largely demolished. By 1933 it was mostly in ruins. Its former site was made a Historic Site of South Korea in 1963. Excavations on it began in 1985. They continued through the 1990s and 2000s. A plan to restore the settlement was created in 2009, with annual excavation and restoration efforts conducted thereafter. The Gyeongju government purchased real estate for the project and has supported the restoration. The

bell of King Seongdeok The Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok () is the largest extant bronze bell in Korea. It is also known as the Emille Bell (), after a legend about its casting, and as the Bell of Bongdeoksa, where it was first housed. The bell was also previously ...

, now in the Gyeongju National Museum, was from the gate Jingnyemun in the town.

Gallery

File:Gyeongjueupseong 01.jpg, Overhead view of the reconstructed settlement (2020) File:Gyeongjueupseong 04.jpg, Part of the reconstructed wall (2020) File:Gyeongjueupseong 02.jpg, A reconstructed gate (2020)

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Gyeongjueupseong Castles in South Korea Buildings and structures of Goryeo Buildings and structures of Joseon Decolonization of Korea Historic Sites of South Korea Gyeongju Tourist attractions in Gyeongju