Restoration of Hwaseong Haenggung, a World Heritage Site, Completed After 119 Years... Opening Ceremony of Uhwa-gwan and Byeolju on the 24th

The Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung, which was demolished during the Japanese colonial period, has been fully restored to its original form after 119 years. With the completion of the Hwaseong Haenggung 'Uhwagwan (于華館)·Byeolju (別廚)' restoration project, the Hwaseong Haenggung restoration effort that began in 1989 has been completed after 35 years.

On the 24th, Suwon City will hold the ‘Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung Uhwagwan·Byeolju Restoration Opening Ceremony’ in the outer courtyard of Uhwagwan at Hwaseong Haenggung.

Hwaseong Haenggung was built in 1789 (the 13th year of King Jeongjo’s reign) when King Jeongjo relocated his father, Crown Prince Sado’s tomb, to the site of Suwonbu’s town office (Yungneung in Hwaseong City) and moved the new town office to the foot of Paldal Mountain. It was used as a government office during normal times and served as a palace where the king and his attendants stayed when the king traveled to Suwon.

Hwaseong Haenggung was the government office responsible for the administration of the new city King Jeongjo wanted to build, Suwon Hwaseong, and also served as the military camp for the Jangyongyeong soldiers who firmly protected Hwaseong Yusu-bu. According to the “Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe,” which records the construction process of Suwon Hwaseong, Hwaseong Haenggung was about 600 rooms in size and had the form of a main palace (Jeonggung). Since King Jeongjo intended to pass on the throne and retire to Suwon, the scale and formality of Hwaseong Haenggung rivaled that of a royal palace. It is the largest haenggung built in the provinces during the Joseon Dynasty.

King Jeongjo stayed at Hwaseong Haenggung 13 times from 1789, when he moved Crown Prince Sado’s tomb to Hyeollyungwon. In 1795, he held his mother Lady Hyegyeong’s 60th birthday celebration at the haenggung.

Hwaseong Haenggung functioned as a palace and government office until the late 19th century but began to be destroyed in 1905 when Suwon Public Elementary School was established in Uhwagwan. In 1911, Bongsudang was used as Jahyeuiwon (a medical facility), Naknamheon as Suwon County Office, and Bukgunyeong as a police station. In 1923, the Japanese demolished the Hwaseong Haenggung area and built the Gyeonggi Provincial Hospital, and Hwaseong Haenggung seemed to disappear into the annals of history.

Even after liberation, the Gyeonggi Provincial Hospital (now Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Suwon Hospital) remained, and in 1989, plans were announced to rebuild a modern building on the current site. When the reconstruction plan was announced, citizens took action to restore Hwaseong Haenggung. In October of that year, 42 people, including Shim Jae-deok, former Suwon mayor (1939?2009) and then director of the Suwon Cultural Center, formed the ‘Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung Restoration Promotion Committee.’

The Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung Restoration Promotion Committee met with the governor of Gyeonggi Province to explain the necessity of restoring Hwaseong Haenggung and proposed relocating the Gyeonggi Provincial Hospital. The governor accepted the proposal, and the 35-year restoration project began.

Suwon City demolished the Gyeonggi Provincial Hospital and started the first phase of the Hwaseong Haenggung restoration project. The restoration principles were to restore Hwaseong Haenggung to its completed form in 1796 and to base the restoration on historical records and excavation data such as the Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe and Jeongri Uigwe.

Starting with Bongsudang, the central building of Hwaseong Haenggung, 482 rooms were restored, and the first phase of the restoration was completed in 2002. In October of the following year, the Hwaseong Haenggung opening ceremony was held, and the main buildings were opened to the public.

The Uhwagwan restoration project began in 2003. After Sinpung Elementary School, which was located on the site of Uhwagwan, relocated in 2013 and its branch school was closed in 2016, the restoration project officially started, restoring Uhwagwan, Naknamheon East Corridor, and Byeolju.

Suwon City restored Hwaseong Haenggung, which was destroyed by Japan, after 119 years.

Uhwagwan was the guesthouse (Gaksa) of Hwaseong Yusu-bu that enshrined a wooden plaque inscribed with the character ‘Jeon (殿),’ symbolizing the king. It was the first building constructed in Hwaseong Haenggung in 1789. The guesthouse was a place where local magistrates performed ceremonies in front of the king’s symbolic plaque on the first and fifteenth of every month and where visiting officials and envoys stayed.

Originally named Paldal-gwan, it was renamed Uhwagwan by King Jeongjo’s order during his 1795 Eulmyo year procession. Uhwagwan means ‘the seal of the people of the Hwaseong land prays,’ reflecting King Jeongjo’s wish for all the people living in Suwon Hwaseong to be prosperous and joyful. During the 1795 Eulmyo year procession, the civil service examination was held at Uhwagwan.

Uhwagwan was used as Suwon Public Elementary School but was demolished in 1933 when Suwon Public Ordinary School (now Sinpung Elementary School) was built under Japanese rule.

From 2016 to 2019, archaeological excavations uncovered the site of Uhwagwan, and based on the Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe and historical documents, restoration design was completed in 2020?2021. After receiving approval from the Cultural Heritage Administration, restoration construction began in July 2021 and was completed in 2023.

The Naknamheon East Corridor forms the boundary between Naknamheon and Uhwagwan. Naknamheon was used for official events and banquets at Hwaseong Haenggung. In the second phase of the project, the Naknamheon East Corridor, pond, and woven branch fence (Chwibyeong) were restored, and the Naknamheon area was reborn as the ‘King’s Garden.’

Byeolju was the place where food was prepared when the king traveled and where documents recording the etiquette of serving the king’s meals were kept. During Lady Hyegyeong’s 60th birthday celebration in 1795, a temporary 12-room building with extended eaves was added to Byeolju to prepare the banquet tables. Byeolju was a type of government office responsible for preparing and cooking sacrificial offerings, the king’s meals, side dishes, and ingredients needed for royal banquets.

After King Jeongjo’s death, Byeolju was renamed Bunbongsangsi and was used to prepare offerings for Hyeollyungwon, Geonneung, and Hwaryeongjeon, as well as to organize and store related documents.

A Suwon City official said, “There is no other haenggung with such diverse history and functions as Hwaseong Haenggung. Through this restoration project, we have restored the complete form of Hwaseong Haenggung, which is ordinary yet special, and can widely promote the unique value of Hwaseong Haenggung.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.