Hyehwamun (), also known as Northeast Gate, is one of the

Eight Gates of Seoul 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

in the Fortress Wall of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the

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 ...

period. The gate is also known as Dongsomun (). The gate was originally called Honghwamun ().

History

Hyehwamun was originally built in 1396, and was originally called Honghwamun. But this name came into conflict with the east gate of Changgyeonggung Palace, built in 1483. So in 1511, the name was changed to its current name. The gate's wooden gatehouse, constructed either in 1684 or 1744, was brought down in 1928, leaving only the stone archway standing. Later in the Japanese colonial period, the entire gate was brought down to make room for a street car line linking Hyehwa-dong and Donam-dong. The gate was rebuilt in 1992, slightly further north than the site of the previous gate. The name Hyehwamun means literally "Distribution of Wisdom Gate." It is one of the Four Small Gates () in the Fortress Wall of Seoul. Since the gate to the north, it was an important gate for people to move toward the north of the country.

Preservation

Hyehwamun is located along a busy street (Dongsomun-ro, 동소문로). The gate is incorporated into the Fortress Wall to its north. Immediately to its south is the street, but then the Fortress Wall continues on the other side of the street, running all the way down to the East Gate,

Heunginjimun Heunginjimun (), Dongdaemun (), is one of The Eight Gates of Seoul in the Seoul City Wall, a prominent landmark in central Seoul, South Korea. The Korean name "Dongdaemun" means "Great East Gate," and it was so named because it was the major ...

. Visitors to the gate today are allowed access to the front and the back of the gate, and under the gate itself. Visitors may also carefully view the wooden gatehouse above the gate, but are not allowed inside, and should not approach too closely due to a laser alarm system (July 2012). The gate can be accessed via subway line 4, from either Hyehwa Station exit 4, or Hansung University Station exit 5. Hansung University Station is the closer of the two, being only about 1.5 city blocks from the gate. Visitors can find it via Sajik Tunnel, Inwangsan (Mt. Inwang), Bukaksan (Mt. Bukak), Changdeokgung Palace, and Sungkyunkwan University. It intersects with the road toward Uijeongbu. People can see Bukaksan and Bukak Pavilion to the west of Hyehwamun Gate.

Images

References

{{Eight Gates of Seoul Gates of Seoul Rebuilt buildings and structures in South Korea Buildings and structures completed in 1396