By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Wendy Palomo from the Philippines
Photos = Wendy Palomo

One of the best walking trips I have taken was at the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. What made it especially memorable was going there with my family and another friend’s family. We were two foreign families together exploring what was unknown to us except for a minimal guide we had from the internet.

Going to the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon was surprisingly easy. So, let's start with how to get there. Take Line no. 1 going to Suwon Station. Go out Exit 4. Go straight and you won't miss the Bus Stop. Take Bus No. 11, 13 or 13-4. We got off at the Paldalmun Bus Stop.

As soon as you see the gate, you'll know that it is already the Paldalmun Bus Stop. It is also the bus stop going to Suwon's Traditional Market.

I love it that we took this as our starting point. We were two families with four elementary school kids with us. We gave them a taste of a traditional and very provincial Korea. As we were passing by the market, we saw a table selling tteok (rice cakes—we went there the day before Chuseok) and they were surely busy. We got a bonus watching a man pounding on the rice cake dough that the ladies on the table were going to make as ttok.



We continued with our leisurely pace, allowing the kids to savor the experience. You will not miss part of the long stretch of the wall and you might feel like it's forever. The Hwaseong Fortress stretches for a total of 5.7km. But take in your surroundings and check on the snippets of information available on the walls. My biggest surprise was this imposing structure.

At last, we arrived at the Hwaseong Yeonmudae Command Post! We were excited to try archery. But there were just so many people, we gave up on it and decided to just enjoy the place. How could there be so many people on the day before a Korean holiday when they were supposed to be busy preparing for the next day's big celebration? Times changing, perhaps?

The children wanted to ride the trolley, but I was relieved we weren't able to. The design of the trolley is inspired by the royal vehicle used by King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). It looks grand and inviting, but we walked and walked and got to see what makes this a remarkable fortress.

The Suwon Hwaseong Fortress was designated as Historic Site No. 3 in January 1963. In December 1997, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If we had ridden the trolley, we would have missed out on scenes inside the gate or a rest by a small pond.




The fortress was constructed by the Joseon's 22nd monarch, King Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800) to show filial piety to his father and as a fortress for national defense.

The fortress wall was built using seokjae stones and jeondol bricks and the holes between the bricks are just big enough to fire guns, arrows, or long spears through in case of an attack. Construction of the Fortress started in January 1794 and finished in September 1796. All through these centuries, the locals had preserved and protected a 600-year old tree Zelkova tree, which is believed to have protected Suwon even before the construction of the Fortress began.

This Zelkova Tree can be found at the Hwaseong Haenggung Palace. Little did we know that walking a little bit further led us to where we started, the Paldalmun Gate. We actually circled Suwon City.

By the time we finished, our elementary school kids were just beginning to feel tired. It was one of the best days of walking with our sons and their friends. We were real tourists who navigated our own walking tour of Suwon.



wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.