Did you know....about Gyeongbokgung Palace?

Gyeongbokgung nowadays. It is popular for tourists and Koreans to take pictures
with traditional Korean clothing, named Hanbok.

One of the most important tourist destinations in Seoul is with no doubt the Palace Gyeongbokgung. 
Every day hundred of visitors are exploring the huge area full of historic buildings, alleyways and parks.

But did you know that this view of the Palace was not possible just 30 years ago?
The palace has a very long and dramatic history.

It was established in 1395 as the main palace alongside a few other palaces in the area. It became the center of Koreas power, politics and economy. Also its unique location played an important role for its high rank.
Behind the palace you can see the Baegaksan Mountain, which functions as a natural barrier to the north. In the south you can see a huge open space, now called the Sejong-daero (daero = main street), which leads to the palace and its main entrance.

The first downfall for the palace happend in 1592, when it  burnt down by a fire caused by the Japanese army, which invaded Korea.
Tragically the palace was not rebuilt before 1867. So it was a huge ruin for about 270 years.
In by then the palace was restored again within a huge project, where about 500 buildings of the original palace were restored or newly built.
However this would not last for long.

During the Japanese occupation between 1910 and 1945 the palace was demolished and damaged again. On top of that a Japanese Governmental-General Building was built on the grounds of the palace to demonstrate the power of the new leaders.
You can see the building in the picture below.

Surprisingly this building stayed there a long time and was not demolished before 1990.
It is a great example of how historic buildings are often victims of political occurances and that we should not take the wonderful appearance of the Gyeongbokgung Palace of today for granted.
It was a long and rocky road full of ups and downs until it reached the present condition.
So please remember the past next time when you take a picture in front of Gyeongbukgung.