FORBIDDEN PURPLE CITY (TU CÂM THÀNH)
This city at the heart of the Imperial City was reserved exclusively for the king, his family and his staff of eunuchs.
At the heart of the Imperial City of Hué, the Purple City was reserved exclusively for the king and his family (the staff were eunuchs). Anyone entering this enclosure was punished by death. There was, however, one public area: the royal theater. The city was surrounded by a wall 324 meters long, 3.70 meters high and pierced by 7 gates. Today, only a few scattered buildings remain. In 1947, the city was severely damaged by fire, followed in 1968 by the Tet offensive (among other things). A large screen behind the Palace of the Laws of Heaven (Dien Can Chanh), now in ruins, marked the boundary of the space reserved for the emperor and his family. The courtyard of honor is lined with the mandarin's houses. Behind it are the remains of the Palace of Heavenly Perfection (Diên Can Thanh), the king's lodgings. Gone are the dwellings of the concubines and dozens of eunuchs who served the royal family. All that remains is the Theatre (Duyêt Thi Duong) and the Royal Library (Thai Binh Lâu), which has been completely renovated. The Royal Library, with its magnificent ornamentation, was built in 1821. Columns adorned with mosaics and roof decorations bear witness to the palace's past magnificence. The official part of the palace included salons and gardens where the king granted audiences to his high dignitaries. It was here that he received foreign princes and held grand ceremonies.
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