Gyeonghuigung Palace

Gyeonghuigung was built in the early seventeenth century as a secondary palace on the western side of the old city, large enough at its height to hold something like a hundred buildings, and several kings used it when the main palaces were unusable. Almost none of it survives: most of it was lost in the nineteenth century, to a fire and then to the rebuilding of Gyeongbokgung, which took its timber, and what remained was dismantled in the early twentieth century and a school built on the grounds, so what stands now is a partial reconstruction from the 1980s and 90s - the Heunghwamun gate, the Sungjeongjeon throne hall, Jajeongjeon and a few halls on a terraced slope, with the rest of the footprint now occupied by museums and roads. That history is why it feels different from the other four palaces: it is small, quiet, free to enter, and often you have the courtyards to yourself, which no other Seoul palace offers. The Seoul Museum of History and the Donuimun Museum Village are next door, and Gyeonghuigung is best treated as part of that block.

The main sights

• Sungjeongjeon - the reconstructed throne hall on its terrace.
• Heunghwamun - the main gate, returned to the site.
• The empty courtyards - the palace's chief advantage.
• The truncated footprint - the halls that were never rebuilt.

When to go

Year-round; it is free and rarely busy at any hour. Autumn colour on the slope behind the halls is good.

Things to know

Most of the palace is gone and what stands is modern reconstruction - this is not Gyeongbokgung. It takes an hour. There is little interpretation on site; the museum next door supplies it.

Nearby

The Seoul Museum of History is adjacent; Deoksugung and Gwanghwamun are a short walk east.

Key facts