Hamnyeongjeon Hall of Deoksugung Palace

Hamnyeongjeon Hall was the private residential quarters of Emperor Gojong, the first emperor of the Korean Empire. It was built in 1897, the first year of the Gwangmu era, but burned down during repair work in 1904; the present building was rebuilt in December of that year. It was here that Gojong died on 21 January 1919, after having ceded the throne to Emperor Sunjong. The hall measures nine bays across the front and four bays to the side, with a further four bays added at the rear on the west side, giving the floor plan an L-shape. The roof is a hipped-and-gabled roof, decorated on top with various carvings. Notably, ornamental ridge-end tiles are arranged along the roof corners, an unusual feature rarely seen in the architecture of royal residential halls. The eaves are supported by bird-beak-shaped bracket arms decorated with cloud and vine motifs. The ceiling is finished with a coffered, grid-like pattern that conceals the structure above, and all four sides are fitted with windows rather than solid walls. As the last royal residential hall built during the Korean Empire, it is a valuable resource for the study of architectural history.

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Where it is

Region

Jung-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물