Thursday Doors: Downtown Seoul

Many buildings in Seoul are big, and serious. And the doors themselves are nothing special but there is a lot around them. An example of this is the War Memorial of Korea, commemorating the Korean War and those who died fighting it. A long stone staircase leads up to a wide mouth of windows.

In downtown Seoul there are other examples, including the Metropolitan Library

Close-up on the Metropolitan Library Door

The library building

And the Seoul City Hall in Seoul Plaza.

Close-up on Seoul City Hall Door

Seoul City Hall Building

Gyeongbokgung Palace, next to Gwanghwamun Square, is more urban than Changdeokgung, which I blogged about last week. It stands close to other places of business in the city. On our last day, we walked past the library and City Hall and across Gwanghwamun Square to get to this palace.

Some doors of Gyeongbokgung:

Even in the middle of the city, there was a part of the palace that was an oasis from the rest.

This post is for Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. I’ll be sharing doors from my recent trip to East Asia for the next several Thursdays. 

 

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Thursday Doors: Changdeokgung Palace

Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea is a UNESCO World Heritage site built in 1405 and restored in 1611. Behind the palace it has a rear garden, also known as the “secret garden,” which one can tour in English.

Changdeokgung was was the principal palace for many kings of the Joseon Dynasty. And the secret garden was a place for them to relax, study, worship, and be in nature.

A place for the emperor or crown prince to worship. You had to take off your shoes to preserve the original flooring.

Our tour guide in front of one of the Pavilions

A place of worship

There were also residences for the court, including concubines and their children.

The doors below led to an underground furnace and chimney, which supplied the under-floor heating system, necessary in winter to heat the entire palace.

See pictures of it in the fall with the beautiful leaves changing color here: Huwon Secret Garden.

This post is for Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. I’ll be sharing doors from my recent trip to East Asia for the next several Thursdays.