Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, Gyeongju

This is the site of a detached palace of the Silla royal palace, located to the west of Anapji Pond. Together with other auxiliary buildings, it served as Donggung, the palace where the crown prince resided, and it is said that banquets were held here on occasions of national celebration or when receiving honoured guests. It was also the place where King Gyeongsun of Silla, after being attacked by Gyeon Hwon, invited Wang Geon in 931 and held a banquet to appeal for help in this dire situation. After Silla unified the Three Kingdoms, in the fourteenth year of King Munmu (674) a large pond was dug, with three islands built in its centre and twelve hills raised to its north and east; it is said that beautiful flowers and trees were planted there and that rare birds and animals were kept. The Samguk sagi records only Imhaejeon Hall and makes no mention of Anapji Pond, but the Joseon-period Dongguk yeoji seungnam states that 'Imhaejeon Hall lies to the west of Anapji Pond,' and on this basis the present site is presumed to be Anapji Pond. Around the pond at the site of Imhaejeon Hall, which suffered extensive damage during the Japanese colonial period when a railway was built through it, the remains of 26 buildings of various sizes, including a covered corridor, have been identified. Among these, in 1980 three of the five building sites on the western shore believed to be Silla-period structures, including the site presumed to be Imhaejeon Hall, were restored together with Anapji Pond itself, in the form seen today. Many relics have been excavated here. Among them, a brick decorated with a bosanghwa pattern, an imaginary auspicious flower motif, bears the inscription 'the second year of Joro (調露 二年), 680,' supporting the view that Imhaejeon Hall was built in the reign of King Munmu. Many bowls and plates were also found, which, unlike those excavated from Silla tombs, appear to have been used in everyday life. Although Imhaejeon Hall was a building belonging to the detached palace, it appears to have held great importance, and Anapji Pond stands as a representative example of a Silla wonji, a garden pond built within a royal palace.

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Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적