Paldalmun Gate, Suwon

Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon, is a walled fortification whose construction began in 1794, the eighteenth year of King Jeongjo of Joseon, when he moved the tomb of his father, Crown Prince Sado, from Yangju to Suwon, and which was completed in 1796, the twentieth year of his reign. Although modelled on Chinese fortress design, it was built using scientific methods that gave it a far more advanced form, making it an outstanding relic representative of Korean fortress architecture. This gate is the southern gate of Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon, and takes its name from Paldalsan Mountain to its west. The gate tower is a two-storey structure of five bays across the front and two bays to the side, with a hipped-and-gabled roof that appears trapezoidal when viewed from the front. The bracket sets supporting the roof eaves are arranged not only above the columns but also between them, in the multi-cluster bracket (dapo) style. Outside the gate, a semicircular barbican was built to protect and reinforce it; this barbican was restored to its original form in 1975 on the basis of historical research. Fortress walls once extended from either side of the gate, but these were demolished when roads were built, leaving only the gate itself standing today. It is the largest and most ornate of the buildings within Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon, and a piece of cultural heritage that fully embodies the advanced gate architecture of the late Joseon period.

AI Translation

Visiting

Opening hours

March-October 09:00-18:00 November-February 09:00-17:00

Closed

N/A (Open all year round)

Parking

Available

Information

• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-31-228-2765

Visitor information: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 1

Where it is

Region

Suwon, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물