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Guide Introduction and UNESCO Context
UNESCO inscription in 1997; palace founded in 1405
Changdeokgung Palace & Huwon Secret Garden Audio Guide
Changdeokgung Palace · Permanent Collection
Explore Changdeokgung Palace in visitor order, from Donhwamun Gate and Injeongjeon Hall to Nakseonjae and the entrance to Huwon Secret Garden. This English audio guide helps travelers understand the palace’s royal ceremonies, daily court life, architecture, and UNESCO World Heritage significance. Continue into Huwon, the palace’s Secret Garden, with its ponds, pavilions, scholar spaces, and quiet royal landscapes. Along the route, you’ll hear the stories behind Buyongji Pond, Juhamnu Pavilion, Aeryeonji Pond, Yeongyeongdang Hall, Gwallamji Pond, and Ongnyucheon Stream.
작품별 오디오 가이드 · 50작품 160트랙
Orientation: A Palace Shaped by Landscape
Begin by framing Changdeokgung as the 1405 secondary palace that later became the de facto main palace, with the Secret Garden north of the buildings and UNESCO value in its harmony with uneven terrain. This helps visitors notice how the route moves from formal gates and courts into increasingly private and natural spaces.
From Donhwamun to the Inner Threshold
Enter through Donhwamun, pause on the woldae and pagoda-tree approach, then cross Geumcheongyo over the palace stream before turning toward Jinseonmun. This cluster turns a simple entrance walk into a sequence of thresholds: city edge, symbolic gate, water crossing, and approach to the throne court.
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Donhwamun Gate
Built in 1412; destroyed in 1592; rebuilt in 1609
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Donhwamun Woldae and Royal Entry
c. 1412, estimated
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Pagoda Trees by Donhwamun Gate
c. 1650, estimated from official age range
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Geumcheongyo Bridge
Built in 1411
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Jinseonmun Gate and Approach to the Throne Court
1411, based on the Geumcheongyo approach
State Ceremony at Injeongjeon
Use Injeongmun as the frame for the broad court, rank stones, and Injeongjeon's throne interior. Stand back to read the axis and open plaza before moving closer, because this is where palace space becomes formal ceremony and royal authority.
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Injeongmun Gate
1804, 4th year of King Sunjo
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Injeongjeon Hall
1804; earlier rebuilds in 1418 and 1610
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Injeongjeon Throne Interior and Irworobongdo
1908, based on interior modernization
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Injeongjeon Courtyard and Rank Stones
1804, based on extant Injeongjeon heritage era
Offices Beside the King and Royal Memory
Shift west and north from the throne court into the compact in-palace offices, medical and literary bureaus, Gyujanggak-related work spaces, and Old Seonwonjeon. The point is proximity: these buildings show the administrative, scholarly, medical, and ancestral systems kept close to the ruler.
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In-Palace Offices Overview
Restored 2000-2004
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Yakbang and Naeuiwon Royal Infirmary
Restoration completed in 2005
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Hongmungwan, Okdang, and Yemungwan Offices
Restored 2000-2004
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Gyujanggak, Bongmodang, and Geomseocheong
Built in 1781; restored 2000-2004
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Old Seonwonjeon Hall
Moved in 1656; named Seonwonjeon from King Sukjong's reign; Old Seonwonjeon after 1921
Daily Governance and the Inner Quarters
Move east through Seonjeongjeon, Huijeongdang, and Daejojeon, watching the palace scale change from council work to reception rooms and sleeping quarters. This section connects blue-tiled official architecture, modernized interiors, the queen's quarters, and Heungbokheon, where private palace space also carries national history.
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Seonjeongjeon Hall
Rebuilt in 1647; current name used from 1461
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Seonjeongjeon Blue Tile Roof
Estimated from the 1647 hall rebuild
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Huijeongdang Hall
Rebuilt in 1920; name Huijeongdang used from 1496
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Huijeongdang Modern Reception Space
Modernized during the 1920 rebuild
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Daejojeon Hall
Rebuilt in 1920 after the 1917 fire using Gyotaejeon materials
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Daejojeon Roof and Queen's Quarters
1920
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Heungbokheon and the 1910 Treaty
1910
Eastern Studies and Nakseonjae
Continue toward Seongjeonggak and then the quieter Nakseonjae complex at the eastern edge, where crown-prince study spaces give way to unpainted residential halls, flower terraces, and memories of the last royal family. This prepares visitors for the Secret Garden by softening the route from formal palace architecture into garden-backed living space.
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Seongjeonggak Hall
Estimated during King Sukjong's reign (1674-1720)
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Bochunjeong and Huiuru Pavilions
1777
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Gwanmulheon and the Jipui Signboard
c. 1864
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Nakseonjae Hall
1847, 13th year of King Heonjong
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Seokbokheon Hall
1848
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Sugangjae Hall
1848
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Nakseonjae Flower Terraces and Rear Garden
c. 1847
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Last Royal Family at Changdeokgung
1989, deaths of Princess Deokhye and Crown Princess Yi Bangja
Entering the Secret Garden
At the Huwon entrance, reset expectations: this is a reserved, guided garden route north of the palace buildings, not a free-walk courtyard. Use the overview and access notes to orient visitors to the sequence of ponds and valleys and to flag that conservation rules, timing, and the Ongnyucheon closure can shape the actual route.
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Secret Garden Overview
Huwon formed in 1406
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Huwon Access, Conservation, and Tour Route
As of 2026
Buyongji: Learning Around the First Pond
Open the garden with Buyongji as a composed pond room: Buyongjeong sits low by the water, Juhamnu and Gyujanggak rise above it, Eosumun controls the ascent, and Yeonghwadang marks state learning and examinations. Let the visitor's eye move around the pond before moving deeper into less formal garden spaces.
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Buyongji Pond
c. 1707
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Buyongjeong Pavilion
Taeksujae recorded in 1707; renamed/remodeled as Buyongjeong under Jeongjo
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Juhamnu Pavilion and Gyujanggak Library
Built in 1776
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Eosumun Gate
Estimated 1776
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Yeonghwadang Hall
Estimated 1692 reconstruction
Aeryeonji and Yeongyeongdang: Private Garden Worlds
Pass Bullomun into the lotus-pond zone, using Aeryeonji, Aeryeonjeong, and Uiduhap to show a smaller, more reflective garden. Then widen the story at Yeongyeongdang and Seonhyangjae, where the palace adopts an elite private-house layout inside the royal garden.
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Bullomun Gate
Estimated 1692
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Aeryeonji Pond
1692
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Aeryeonjeong Pavilion
1692
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Uiduhap Study Area and Gioheon
1827
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Yeongyeongdang Complex
1828
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Seonhyangjae Study
1828, based on Yeongyeongdang complex date
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Yeongyeongdang Men's and Women's Quarters
1828
Gwallamji: Deep Garden Pavilions
At Gwallamji, gather the scattered pavilions as a late-route pause around water, islands, and varied viewpoints: Jondeokjeong anchors the area while Gwallamjeong, Pyeomusa, and Seungjaejeong show different ways to look at the same landscape. This is the last pond-centered cluster before the route turns toward the northern stream.
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Gwallamji Pond Area
c. 1900s
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Jondeokjeong Pavilion
1644, 22nd year of King Injo
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Gwallamjeong, Pyeomusa, and Seungjaejeong
c. 1900, estimated
Ongnyucheon: Northern Stream and Rural Imagination
Close with Ongnyucheon as the deepest, most natural-feeling part of the garden: a stream, carved rock inscriptions, Soyoam, and Cheonguijeong's rice-paddy setting turn royal leisure toward water, poetry, and agriculture. Because official guidance notes conservation work in this area, treat it as a destination to explain even when access is limited.
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Ongnyucheon Stream
1636, 14th year of King Injo
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Soyoam Rock and Ongnyucheon Inscriptions
1636; Sukjong poem inscription estimated c. 1690
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Cheonguijeong Pavilion and Rice Paddy
1636, 14th year of King Injo