Changdeokgung Palace was the second palace built in the Joseon Dynasty after Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is located at the foot of Eungbongsan Mountain, which is on the left of Bugaksan Mountain. It was also built on the east side of Gyeongbokgung Palace. That’s why it is also called the Eastern Palace. The palace was important as it is the most well-preserved of the five remaining royal Joseon palaces. The back garden of Changdeokgung Palace is especially valuable and highly valued, as it is one of the most representative gardens in Korea. It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Changdeokgung Palace is more frequently used than Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is the palace where kings lived the longest in the 500-year history of Joseon. Officially, the primary palace of Joseon was Gyeongbokgung Palace, but since the early Joseon Dynasty, many kings had avoided staying in Gyeongbokgung Palace, so Changdeokgung Palace took its place.

The straight line of symmetry in the architecture of the main buildings in Gyeongbokgung Palace represented the king's authority. In contrast, Changdeokgung Palace represents the unstructured beauty of Korean palace architecture by building buildings according to the topography of Eungbongsan Mountain. By using the irregular terrain, the palace buildings are placed to the south of the precincts. A back garden called Biwon was built on the wide hills in the north to create excellent harmony with the surrounding environment.

Changdeokgung Palace is impressive in every season. It is full of pretty flowers in spring, lush greenery in summer, beautiful autumn leaves in autumn, and snow in winter! How about a walk in the back garden of Changdeokgung Palace, where the king and the queen used to stroll?