Changdeokgung

Changdeokgung (Korean: 창덕궁; Hanja: 昌德宮) is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Historic Site of South Korea, it is among the best preserved of all Korean palaces. It and its neighboring palace Changgyeonggung have together been called the "East Palace".

Changdeokgung was established in 1405. It was the second palace to be established in Seoul, after Joseon's official main palace Gyeongbokgung. Despite Gyeongbokgung's legally superior status, a majority of kings preferred to reside in Changdeokgung instead. In 1592, amidst the Imjin War, Changdeokgung and all the other palaces in the city were completely destroyed. After the war, due to budgetary constraints, Gyeongbokgung was not repaired, while Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung were. This effectively made Changdeokgung Joseon's main palace for several centuries.

In the late 19th century, under the reign of the penultimate Korean monarch Gojong, Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt and the royal family moved out of Changdeokgung and into Gyeongbokgung, although they would again move to another palace Deoksugung in 1897. In 1907, Gojong was forced by Japan to abdicate, and his son and final Korean monarch Sunjong ascended the throne and made Changdeokgung his official palace. In 1910, Japan colonized Korea, and proceeded to heavily alter the palace. The Korean royal family continued to reside in the palace even after the 1945 liberation of Korea and into the late 20th century.

Changdeokgung is now a major tourist attraction. In 1997, it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace's Secret Garden [ko], long beloved by Korean monarchs, are now mostly available to the public, with some sections requiring tours to be booked.

"Changdeokgung" means "Palace of Prospering Virtue". The palace received this name on the 25th day, 10th month of 1404, shortly after the first phase of its construction was completed.

Changdeokgung and its neighboring palace Changgyeonggung are together known as the "Eastern Palace" (동궐; 東闕; Donggwol; Tonggwŏl), as they are located to the east of the city's main palace Gyeongbokgung.

In 1392 (Korean calendar), Joseon was established. Afterwards, the state's capital Hanyang (also called Hanseong and later called Seoul) was established and Gyeongbokgung was made its main palace (법궁; 法宮; pŏpkung). Due to political turmoil, the capital was temporarily moved to Kaesong and then back to Hanyang in 1404. King Taejong (r. 1400–1418) then ordered the establishment of Changdeokgung as a secondary palace (이궁; 離宮; igung). His possible motivations for this order have been analyzed. A number of scholars have argued Taejong wanted to avoid Gyeongbokgung because he associated it with unpleasant memories of familial deaths there and thought it had inauspicious feng shui qualities. Historians Lee et al. have also argued that he wanted a secondary palace to be freer from the political influences of government offices and politicians in and around Gyeongbokgung.

A temporary office was established to manage the creation of the palace. Changdeokgung's location was finalized on the 6th day, 10th month of 1404, and construction began that day. Under the supervision of Yi Chik [ko], numerous artisans, soldiers, monks, and commoners worked on the construction. The first phase of construction was completed on the 19th day, 10th month of 1405. Taejong entered the palace on the 20th day of that month and held a celebration banquet there. At the time, there were only several complete buildings in the palace, including the royal bedchambers and bathhouse. The palace then had either a total of 287 rooms (칸; k'an) or 192 rooms. There was likely not much space for government offices in the palace for government offices at the time; offices in and around Gyeongbokgung were repaired and officials likely went back and forth between those and Changdeokgung. Meanwhile, construction continued. In 1406, the shrine Insojeon (인소전; 仁昭殿; Insojŏn) and a Buddhist shrine were completed in the rear garden area, along with the pavilion Gwangyeollu (광연루; 廣延樓; Kwangyŏllu); in 1408, a pond was dug; and in 1411, a pavilion was completed. In 1408, the former king Taejo died at Changdeokgung.