Gwancheondae Observatory of Changgyeonggung Palace

Seoul today has two gwancheondae, astronomical observation platforms built during the Joseon dynasty. One stands within Changgyeonggung Palace; the other, whose date of construction is unknown, stands on the former site of the Bukbu Gwansanggam (the northern office of the Gwansanggam, the Joseon government office responsible for astronomy), now the grounds of the former Hwimun High School. The two platforms are almost identical in structure, size and method of construction. According to the Seoungwanji, the observatory within Changgyeonggung Palace was built in 1688, the fourteenth year of King Sukjong. On a granite platform about 3 m high, 2.9 m wide and 2.3 m deep, officials installed a ganui — one of the basic astronomical instruments of the Joseon period, used to fix the positions of celestial bodies — and observed the heavens from it. Only the stone platform survives today; the ganui itself is gone. At the time, the observatory was also called Soganuidae or Cheomseongdae Observatory. Officials of the Gwansanggam continuously observed all celestial phenomena from this platform. It is valuable as a comparatively well-preserved example of a 17th-century astronomical observation platform, and together with another gwancheondae built at the Gwansanggam in the early Joseon period, it is a representative relic showing the design of Joseon-period observatories.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물