Visited: Sept. 2010, Jun 2012, Apr. 2013
Site Type: Cultural
Inscribed: 1997
Background and Opinion:
Located less than thirty minutes south of the Korean capital is the best preserved city wall in the whole country. Hwaseong is a relatively new fortress (end of the 18th century) built by the Joseon dynasty to defend the city of Suwon and honor the late Prince Sado.
Contrary to most things in Korea, this structure is completely original suffering only minor damage during the Korean War. It has a wonderful river that flows through it and a very impressive flood gate. Walking along the wall is the best way to experience it as you can see some steep drops along the 5.5 km circumference.
One of the best things to do while visiting the wall is to try your hand at Korean archery. Towards the north east entrance is an archery range where tourists can try their hands at shooting targets 10 meters away. While this is quite entertaining, I always liked watching the professionals who frequent the range and shoot at the much farther, 50 meter targets.
Another cool thing not many notice is the tile art in the center of the fortress. Walking along the main road across the wall you will see a mosaic like design on the floor which depicts an epic convoy from ancient times. The detail is quite impressive and if you have time, you can also check out the palace directly in front of the tiles.
Evaluation
1) Completeness and Originality (13 out of 15): Mint Condition
2) Extensiveness of the Site (5 out of 15): You can see pretty much all of it in a few hours.
3) Cultural Significance (3 out of 25): It is a great example of Korean fortresses, but has mostly local significance.
4) Personal Impact (5 out of 15): Feels like a mini-great wall.
5) Logistics (6 out of 10): Getting to Suwon is pretty simple but you have to take a bus or taxi to the wall. This is not too straight forward if you don’t speak Korean.
6) Uniqueness (1 out of 20): While I really love it, there are dozens of walls around the world, and many are just as impressive. However, it is definitely worth a look.
Combined Score: 33/100
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I think Korea is one of the best countries which is completely bound with some historical monuments. The people of Korean are multitalented indeed as they are good at sports, innovations and attain a good quality institutional education also. By the way the place you visite is very captivating and hope to visit there soon.