Unhyeongung Royal Residence, Seoul

About this place

Unhyeongung is not a palace like Gyeongbokgung, but a residence where royal relatives lived; it is a historic site located in Unni-dong, Jongno-gu. It was the private residence where the family of Heungseon Daewongun lived, and the place where King Gojong was born and raised before he became king. Because Unhyeongung is where most of the historical events of the late Joseon dynasty began and where numerous reform policies and isolationist policies were carried out, it holds an exceptional historical symbolism. The representative buildings of Unhyeongung are Noandang and Norakdang, completed in September 1864, and Irodang, added six years later; there is also a main gate—now only one, though at that time there were four. Norakdang, the most central building of Unhyeongung, was used mainly for large events such as family sixtieth-birthday celebrations and feasts. Noandang was the building the Daewongun used as his sarangchae (men's quarters). Noandang is a typical Korean-style tiled-roof house, characterized by the delicate and beautiful ends of its eaves.