Jŏngbang Castle () is a

Koguryo 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 ...

-era mountain fortress located outside

Sariwŏn Sariwŏn (; ) is a city in North Korea. It is the capital and largest city of North Hwanghae Province. Population The city's population as of 2008 is 307,764. Administrative divisions Sariwŏn is divided into 31 ''tong'' (neighbourhoods) and ...

, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Cresting the ridges of Mt. Jŏngbang, the fortress was built for the defence of the

capital of

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 ...

. Rebuilt in 1632 by Kim Ja-jeom, the fortress skillfully uses the surrounding cliffs by cutting down the outer slope and winding around the cliffs and ridges, to give a fortress surrounded by over 12 kilometres of 6-metre high stone walls, which extend to over ten metres tall in some places. The walls are pierced by four large gates, the most well preserved of which is the south one. Inside the walled fortress, there are the ruins of commander's posts, barracks, arsenals, armories, granaries and storehouses."Castle on Mt. Jongbang"
KCNA. 25 February 1998. Archived from th

on 8 September 2017. The Sŏngbul Temple, founded in 898 and containing some of the oldest wooden buildings in North Korea, is located within the fortress' walls.

References

1632 establishments in Asia 17th-century establishments in Korea Archaeological sites in North Korea Buddhist archaeological sites in Korea Buildings and structures completed in 1632 Buildings and structures in North Hwanghae Province Castles in North Korea National Treasures of North Korea {{Castle-stub

See also

References