Overview
Hwaseong Fortress encircles the old town of Suwon, south of Seoul. King Jeongjo built it in 1794–1796 after moving the tomb of his father, Crown Prince Sado, to the area.
Description
About 5.7 kilometres of walls integrate four main gates, command posts, observation towers and floodgates. The design combined traditional wall-building with new devices: the silhak scholar Jeong Yak-yong devised pulley-based cranes that were used in its construction.
History and legacy
The entire project was documented in the official record Hwaseong seongyeok uigwe, which made faithful restoration possible after the fortress was heavily damaged in the Korean War. In 1997 it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.