One thing that I really enjoy in Korea is that the tickets for a lot of sightseeing places and museums are either really cheap or completely free. It really encourages people to go and have an understanding of how their country came along. I really admire the fact that Koreans are really good at doing that.
Gyeonghuigong is also part of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the Joseon Dynasty. This palace was actually completely destroyed by the Japanese in order to make way for a school. Reconstruction for the palace began in the 1990s but the government was only able to reconstruct about 1/3 of the size of what it used to be.
Even though admissions are free, it's still a lot quieter and emptier than all the other palaces of the "Five Grand Palaces". But because of that, we stayed for a long time and enjoyed the surrounding serenity.
This is the restored version of the main hall. The original one was sold to a temple of a Japanese and stands today in Dongguk University.
The tiles of the roof had phoenixes and dragons imprinted on them. Impressive.
Our next designation was the Seoul Museum of History which is footsteps away from Gyeonghuigong. Opened in 2002, it showcases the history and culture of Seoul from the Joseon Dynasty to the present day. Although history was interesting in itself, the free admission was also a major factor why we went. The museum had many artifacts, models, pictures, and activities that brings you through a time machine.
The colonization period was so heavy for them they had to put bars around them.
The 1988 Summer Olympics torch!!
What an apartment and a unit used to look like.
Seoul nowadays.
Going back in time.
The museum was really informative and educational. Definitely a must go if you're interested in history. There are also sufficient English explanations on the side to let you have an idea of what's going on.
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