UNHYEONGUNG ROYAL RESIDENCE
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A palace that was the residence of the Daewon-gun regent and his son, with the architecture of late-Joseon yangban houses to admire.
This small palace was the private residence of the regent Daewon-gun as well as that of his son, the future king Gojong (1852-1919). He had it built during his regency between 1863 and 1873. His son, King Gojong, grew up there until he was 12 years old. There were several buildings, divided into two wings, as in all noble residences, the sarangchae/사랑채 (male reception part) and the anchae/안채(female inner part). Some of these buildings disappeared over time, and part of the grounds were turned into a school in 1948. The city of Seoul bought the remaining buildings in 1993 and undertook the extensive restoration. It is possible to visit the Noandang, which was part of the sarangchae, the Norakdang and the Irodang of the anchae. There is also an altar dedicated to Daewon-gun, the Sujiksa (수직사). These are truly beautiful examples of the architecture of yangban (nobles) houses in the late Joseon. But also, this humble wooden palace without embellishments, is a very good testimony of what could be the Confucian austerity, characteristic of the very end of the Joseon period (1392 to 1910). You can also visit a small museum that exhibits various objects that belonged to the regent or that are related to his life. It is not the most famous historical monument of the capital, so tourists are rarer than elsewhere. We appreciate to be able to visit it in all tranquility.
