Wolseong () or Wolseong Palace was a royal palace of

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 ...

. It was located in what is now

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. The palace was used during the Silla and

Unified Silla Unified Silla, or Late Silla, is the name often applied to the historical period of the Korean kingdom of Silla after its conquest of Goguryeo in 668 AD, which marked the end of the Three Kingdoms period. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang alli ...

periods (57 BCE – 938 CE). The palace gets its names from the approximate outline of the palace walls, which were shaped like a crescent moon. It is also called Banwolseong () or Sinwolseong or Jaeseong, which means where the king resides.

Features

Today the ruins of the palace, set among lush forests and hills, can still be visited and is part of the

Gyeongju Historic Areas Gyeongju Historic Areas () is a World Heritage Site in Gyeongju, South Korea that was designated by UNESCO in 2000. The protected areas encompass the ruins of temples and palaces, outdoor pagodas and statuary, and other cultural artifacts left by ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage 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 ...

site. The South Korean government has also designated the palace ruins as Historic Site No. 16. Other notable sites nearby include the

Anapji Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond () are a Silla-era former palace and artificial pond in Gyeongju, South Korea. They were part of the palace complex of ancient Silla (57 BCE – 935 CE). It was constructed by order of King Munmu in 674 CE. The pon ...

Pond which is northwest of the ruins and

Gyeongju National Museum The Gyeongju National Museum () is a museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Its holdings are largely devoted to relics of the Silla kingdom, of which Gyeongju was the capital. The museum is located immediately adjacent to ...

. According to the ''

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The ''Samguk sagi'' is written in Classical ...

'', the fortress was built by King Pasa (4–24) to protect the royal palace. However, excavations done at the site in the second half of the 2010s and in 2021 reveal that it is more likely the palace was built in the 4th century. In September, archeologists also found human bodies and animal bones dating to the

dynasty buried at the main entrance, which indicates

human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease deity, gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/prie ...

rituals may have been conducted to protect the construction. A 1500 years-old woman

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...

was pictured with a necklace, a bracelet and an earthen pot. The palace had many structures including the north and south gates, Guijeongmun, Hyeondeokmun, Mupyeongmun, Wolsangnu pavilion, Mangeunnu, and Goru. Jowonjeon was where the governmental affairs were discussed. Namcheon River flows along the south wall and provided a natural barrier of protection. The site of Imhaejeon Hall and other structures were also near the river. According to legend, a man named Hogon lived on the site of the future fortress and was chased away by a youth Talhae who had magical powers. King Namhae, impressed by the story, took Talhae as his son-in-law. Talhae eventually became king. Treasure No. 66, Seokbinggo, is a famous

icehouse Icehouse or ice house may refer to: * Ice house (building), a building where ice is stored * Ice shanty, a shelter for ice fishing also known as an ''Icehouse'' * Ice rink, a facility for ice skating. * Ice hockey arena, an area where ice hockey i ...

. It is 2.4 meters in width, 1.78 meters in height, and 18.8 meters in length. The entrance is located in the south and three ventilation ducts were built in the arched roof. The floor is angled in an incline so that melting ice water flows toward the floor. Originally the ice storehouse was in the west of Wolseong but has been moved to its present location near the northern castle turret. The icehouse was used during the

Joseon dynasty 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 ...

. Records inscribed on stone state that

Jo Myeonggyeom Jo, jo, JO, or J.O. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Jo'' (film), a 1972 French comedy * ''Jo'' (TV series), a French TV series *"Jo", a song by Goldfrapp from ''Tales of Us'' *"Jo", a song by Mr. Oizo from '' Lambs Anger'' * Jo a ficti ...

replaced the older wood ice storage house with one made of stone during the reign of

King Yeongjo Yeongjo (; 31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong by his concubine, Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choe clan. Before asc ...

and then moved the icehouse to the west of Wolseong. The storage facility is considered important for its architectural technique and the magnitude of the structure. The oldest icehouse in Korea was built in 505 under the reign of King Jijeung.

Gallery

File:Korea-Gyeongju-Banwolseong-Remains-01.jpg, The ruins of the fortess wall Image:Wolseongteo.JPG, The ruins of the fortess wall.

References

External links

Koreatips: Banwolseong and Seokbinggo

Exploring Cultural Heritage: Wolseong

Exploring Cultural Heritage: Soekbinggo

The Architecture and Skyscraper Community of Korea (Look for Gyeongju, Under "Cities"
{{Castles in South Korea Former buildings and structures in Gyeongju Archaeological sites in South Korea Castles in South Korea Former palaces in South Korea Tourist attractions in Gyeongju Gyeongju Historic Areas Historic Sites of South Korea Silla palaces

Features

Gallery

See also

References

External links