Hwasun Bibongsanseong Fortress

Bibongsanseong is a mountaintop fortress built using the natural terrain of Bibongsan, a 195.5 m peak on the boundary between Neungju-myeon and Dogok-myeon. The fortress has a total length of 925 m. The walls were built along ridgelines and cliffs, using well-dressed local stone laid neatly either as a single-faced or double-faced (hyeopchuk) wall. The east wall crosses the ridge leading to the summit of Ansan, making use of the ridge slope and a projecting flat hilltop; on the gentler lower slopes it was built in places with five or six courses of stone. The south wall runs along the ridge connecting the summit of Ansan to a low peak, and is a double-faced wall built by cutting back the slope and stacking stone on both sides. The west wall was built by cutting back the steep ridge connecting the low peak to the summit of Bibongsan, with dressed natural stone laid on both faces. The north wall makes use of a valley and cliffs on the ridge leading up to Ansan. The walls lie at an elevation of between 170 and 220 m, and of these the north and west walls survive comparatively well. Inside the north wall is the site of a ruined temple, where the remains of a gate, two building sites and a well have been identified. Around the building sites are scattered roof-tile fragments bearing a lattice pattern, dark brown pottery sherds and white porcelain sherds. As there are no documentary records for Bibongsanseong, its exact date and background of construction are unknown. However, its location at a strategic point close to Neungju, allowing troops to enter it immediately in an emergency and carry out defensive or counter-attacking tactics, marks it as a typical rear-guard mountain fortress, and it is of great historical and academic value.

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Where it is

Region

Hwasun, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물