Suwon Things to Do

Seonodae, which is located behind Hwaseong Jangdae, is a facility to attack the enemies by installing Seonodae(multiple-arrow-launching bow). The upper part of Seonodae is narrow and the lower part is wide and its shape is octagonal

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Janganmun is the north gate of the Hwaseong Fortress and the largest of the existing main gates. The word Jangan means a capital, illustrating King Jeongjo¢®¯s intention to make Hwaseong a major city. To symbolize the dignity of a royal family, a two-storied building was constructed and Ongseong, a small brick tower, was erected to protect the gate. It was also designed so that water could be poured through five holes called Oseongji on the upper side of Ongseong in case enemies tried to burn the gate.

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Seoammun in the south west secret gate of Hwaseong Fortress. It is one of four secret gates that were hidden in indented parts of the wall, to allow defenders to secretly receive supplies and reinforcements and to launch surprise counterattacks. Standing on top of it is a sentry post. Actually, I didn't look very secret at all to me. I think it has been embellished quite a bit recently to make it more attractive.

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The Divine Tree stands in the courtyard of Hwaseong Haenggung. It is a Sawleaf Zelkova tree, known as Neutinamu in Korean, and it is 600 years old. The tree is 30m high and 6m in circumference. It is considered to be the divine protector of Suwon. I t was believed that cutting the branches or plucking the leaves from this holy tree would anger the gods and bring misfortune to Suwon. It was also believed that touching the tree and praying could make wishes come true.

Today, visitors pay for a wish by dropping a coin into a bowl inside a hollow in the tree trunk. They then write their wish on paper and tie it to one of the ropes that encircle the tree. I did it too.

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This is the palace where King Jeongjo stayed when he visited Suwon. The original eighteenth century palace, built by King Jeongjo, was destroyed by the Japanese. But, it has recently been restored to its original condition. It is the best place to start a walking tour of Hwaseong Fortress.

Admission: 1,000 won

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Hwaseong Fortress is actually a circular wall surrounding the old city. It stands on Mount Paldalsan. Around it there are numerous bastions, towers and gates. The construction of the fortress was initiated by King Jeongjo, the 22nd king of the Joseon dynasty, in January, 1794 and it was completed in September, 1796. It was designed to defend the southern approach to the capital, primarily against the old enemy, theJapanese. Hwaseong Fortress was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1997.

The wall is nearly 6km long, and the pathway inside the wall is considerably longer. Sometimes there are steep, stone steps to climb up and down and in other places, a dirt track. If you are planning to take photographs along the way, the walk will take you around 3 hours, not the 2 it says in the guide books.

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The Korean Folk Village is a great park on the outskirts of Suwon that displays traditional Korean architecture, farming, food, clothing and other things in a real setting (rather than a museum). Watch as the Koreans in traditional clothing cook food in their wood roofed houses. Try traditional Korean candies and other foods. KFV has several restaurants and gift shops as well.

It's a great place for a stroll.

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I was told it's the only thing to see in Suwon. Well, I don't know for sure, but none mentioned anything else. I'm sure there's enough information about Hwaseon already, so just a couple of additional pictures.