Dating from the first century CE, the Wolseong palace at Kyongju was rebuilt and added to by successive Silla kings. The name means Half Moon Fortress which describes the shape of the original palace. An interesting feature of this palace was its icehouse, the floor of which was slanted so that water from the melting ice could drain out. Originally constructed of wood, it was rebuilt of stone during the Joseon dynasty. In the seventh century, a second palace, Imhaejeon, was built of stone near the river, east of Wolseong Palace. The hall could seat a thousand people, and was probably where the Silla surrendered to the Goyeo in 935.

The nearby Gyerim Wood is a sacred spot and contains some of the oldest trees in Korea. There are several legends associated with the place. The most common tale is that this wood was the birthplace of Kim Al-Ji who founded the important Kim clan and/or the Silla dynasty. Another story has it that a man named Hogong was living there but was run off by the magic of Talhae, a boy who wanted to live there himself. The reigning King Namhae came to know of the boy's feat and gave him one of his daughters in marriage. Talhae later became the fourth King of Silla.

East of the Imhaejeon Palace was the Wolji or Moon Pond, built as a pleasure garden by King Munmu in 674. Designed so that it could not be viewed in its entirety from any one position, this pond had stone lined banks and covered 15,658 square meters. Rare flowers and birds were introduced, along with deer and other wildlife. Along the eastern and northern sides were artificial mountains which represented the twelve peaks of Mt. Musan. Man-made islands in the water symbolized the Samsinsan, the Three God Mountains, which had significance to Buddhism. The garden is thought to have been influenced by Japanese gardening ideas of the era and to illustrate principles of Taoism. The garden was used to entertain foreign envoys who came to the Imhaejeon palace, in hopes that they would be reminded of their homes and be more amenable to whatever was wanted of them when they returned to the palace to conduct their diplomatic affairs. This water garden was destroyed with the fall of the Silla, along with the palaces, but wild waterfowl continued to frequent the plant growth in the watery ruins. In the Joseon era, the area attracted poets who renamed it Anapji Pond, meaning Wild Goose and Duck Pond.

In the vicinity of the royal enclaves was the Cheomseongdae Observatory, which was built in the middle of the seventh century. This was built of granite blocks, tapering upwards in thirty rows. The inside space was filled with dirt and rocks up to the twelfth row. The upper viewing platform had twelve retangular slabs and was accessible via a staircase accessed through a window at the top of the dirt fill. The number twelve is important here, as it denoted the twelve months of the year as well as the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Gukhak, the National Confucian Academy, was established in Kyongju by the Silla in 682. Its primary role was to prepare local officials for their role in the ever expanding government bureaucracy and increasing contact with China by teaching them writing skills and the Confucian classics. The school closed at the fall of the Silla dynasty, but new government sponsored schools and private Confucian academies reappeared in Kyongju during the Joseon dynasty.





World Heritage-Gyeongju
Korean Gardens
wiki-Gukhak
Oriental Architecture

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