Geumgangsan Mountain Fortress

Climbing up the slopes to the left of Guryongpokpo Falls on Sogeumgangsan Mountain in Gangwon State, this is a stone-built fortress also known as Amisanseong Fortress or Manwolseong Fortress. According to legend, it was built by Crown Prince Maui of Silla; another account holds that it was built by Choe Geuk-im, son of Choe Mun-han — son-in-law of King Chungsuk of Goryeo — who led a local militia in its construction. The fortress follows the ridgelines to the east and west of Guryongpokpo Falls. The eastern wall runs for about 3km, passing over the summit of Sogeumgangsan Mountain and back down to the valley, while the western wall appears only near the falls, for about 400m. Of the eastern wall, about 400m survives along the ridge running south-west, and a separate stretch of about 700m runs along the ridge extending west from the summit. The fortress has the unusual form of two or three overlapping lines of wall, and no trace of wall construction is found to the south or west. The wall varies in size from place to place, standing 1 to 2m high with a width of 1m at the top. Several flat areas presumed to be building sites can be seen within the fortress, though no artefacts such as pottery or roof-tile fragments have been found. Around the fortress are features known as the Yeonbyeongjang (a drill ground), Suyangdae, Manggundae (a lookout post) and Sahyeongdae (an execution ground).

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gangneung, Gangwon

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료