South Korea: Suwon – Hwaseong Fortress
Half an hour train ride south of Seoul lies the city of Suwon with a massive UNESCO World Heritage-listed Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. was built from 1794 to 1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon dynasty of Korean rial line. The wall goes on for 5.74 km (3.57 mi) in length and is between 4-6 m (13–20 ft) tall. There are four absolutely spectacular entrance gates – Janganmun (north), Hwaseomun (west), Paldalmun (south) and Changnyongmun (east). The Janganmun Gate is the largest gate in the entire South Korea. The wall connects all the gates and you can walk along or often on top of it, plus there are many intermediate bastions and watchtowers. Inside the walls is the Haenggung Palace, a collection of single story structures with museum displayed historical artifacts – visually rather simple, but holding some important Korean jewels.
