Changdeokgung is a palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) located in Seoul. Out of five palaces of the Joseon Dynasty in Seoul, Changdeokgung Palace was secondly constructed in 1405 following Gyeongbokgung Palace. Although originally built as a secondary palace to the main palace of Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung Palace had accommodated the kings for the longest period in Joseon history.
Changdeokgung Palace shows the feature of Korean palace architecture, which makes harmony between nature and architecture. It is situated at the foot of a mountain range without much flat land. Putting emphasis on the harmony with nature, Korean people placed the palace buildings in the south which is the flatland and the palace garden in the north which is the hill, utilizing the irregular terrain without changing it. For the same reason, the palace building in the southern area were flexibly situated in accordance with the natural terrain. Direction needs to be changed twice to reach Injeongjeon, the central building of the palace, from Donhwamun, the main gate of Changdeokgung Palace. This is the feature of Changdeokgung Palace to blend harmoniously with surrounding landscape, which makes it distinguished from conventional palace architecture.
Changdeokgung Palace is divided into four broad parts; the entrance part which includes the main gate of the palace, the official area where kings worked, the private area where the royal family lived, and lastly, the garden that accounts for more than 60 percent of the total area of Changdeokgung Palace. The garden is called ‘Huwon(Rear Garden)’, which was made in the way that allows the nature to stay unchanged and uses artificial means as less as possible. There are small and simple pavilions, lakes and others, well harmonized with the nature. Valuing the beauty of nature is a feature of Korean traditional garden.
Changdeokgung Palace is an exceptional example of the design of architecture and gardens in Northeast Asia. Changdeokgung Palace is a creative Korean heritage, showing the feature of Korean palace architecture and landscaping that is in harmony with nature while following the conventional architecture of Confucian palace.