Gongsanseong Fortress, Gongju [UNESCO World Heritage]

About this place

Gongsanseong is a representative fortress of the Baekje period, a Baekje mountain fortress that guarded Gongju when the Baekje capital was located there. It served as the Baekje capital fortress until King Seong moved the capital to Buyeo in the 16th year of his reign (538), and thereafter remained a center of regional administration through the Joseon period, making it a highly significant site of great historical value. It is a valley-enclosing (pogok-hyeong) mountain fortress surrounding a valley on a low hill by the Geumgang River; originally an earthen fortress, it was rebuilt in stone during the Joseon period. The date of construction is not precisely known. During Baekje it was called Ungjinseong; during the Goryeo period, Gongju Sanseong or Gongsanseong; and after King Injo took refuge here during Yi Gwal's Rebellion (1623) in the Joseon period, it was called Ssangsu Sanseong. King Uija briefly stayed here immediately after the fall of Baekje, and it also served as a base for the Baekje Restoration Movement. During the Unified Silla period, Kim Heon-chang's Rebellion (822) broke out here. The fortress forms a rectangle roughly 800 m east-west and 400 m north-south. Gate sites are identified on all four sides, and the south gate, Jinnamnu, and the north gate, Gongbungnu, remain today. Only the sites of the east and west gates survived, but Yeongdongnu was restored at the east gate site and Geumseoru at the west gate site. Defensive facilities such as concealed gates (ammun), bastions (chiseong), elevated platforms (godae), command posts (jangdae), and water gates (sugumun) remain, and within the fortress stand Ssangsujeong, Yeoneunsa, a lotus pond (yeonji), the Imnyugak site, and the Manharu site. In addition, many relics were excavated, including lotus-patterned roof-end tiles as well as Baekje roof tiles and earthenware, along with numerous artifacts from the Goryeo and Joseon periods. Walking along the fortress walls offers a sweeping view of downtown Gongju. During the Baekje Cultural Festival, visitors can cross a pontoon bridge from the front of Gongsanseong to Geumgang Singwan Park. At Geumseoru, one can watch the majestic Ungjinseong Gatekeepers' Guard-Changing Ceremony evoking the dignity of the Baekje kingdom, while Geumgang Singwan Park offers views of Gongsanseong set against a beautiful night scene.