Gwangtonggyo Bridge is a restored stone bridge. In 1910, when a tram line was installed over Gwangtonggyo Bridge, it was once buried under a new bridge. Also, during the covering of the Cheonggyecheon Stream, the railings of Gwangtongyo Bridge were moved away, and the bridge itself remained under the road. Thankfully, with the restoration project of the Cheonggyecheon Stream, the old bridge was excavated, and a new railing was installed.

The name Gwangtonggyo Bridge came from the name of the neighbourhood, Gwangtongbang. But as the name suggests, it was actually quite a large bridge. It was 12m in length and 15m in width. With the width larger than the length, the word ‘Gwang’, which means ‘wide’, was a fitting choice.

But it wasn’t an extravagant stone bridge originally, like we know it now. At first, it was a bridge made of dirt, and it was rebuilt like the present day during the period of King Taejong. King Taejong took stones from the Royal Tomb of Queen Sindeok.. King Taejong’s step-mother, Queen Sindeok, coaxed King Taejo to make Prince Bangbeon and Bangseok, her own sons, as crown princes, ahead of their older brothers. In 1397, after Queen Sindeok passed away, King Taejo created Jeongneung Tomb, the tomb of Queen Sindeok at Jeong-dong which is near Deoksugung Palace.

However, in 1398, Prince Lee Bangwon mounted a Coup of the Prince, and became King Taejong after making King Jeongjong abdicate. And when King Taejo Lee Seong-gye, the King Emeritus the Great, passed away in 1408, he established Geonwonneung Tomb at the site of Donggureung Tombs in Guri. He moved Queen Sindeok’s Jeongneung Tomb to Saeulhan, which is current-day Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu. That is why the stonework of the original Jeongneung Royal Tomb was used for the building of Gwangtonggyo Bridge.

You can still see them on the bridge. Look carefully, and you’ll find splendidly carved stone pieces on various parts of Gwangtonggyo Bridge. Mainly, stone Buddhist divine general statues on wind-breaking stones, trident-shaped ornaments called Geumgangjeo or Yeongjeo, and Yeongtak, which is a bell. Some of them are flipped upside down and used as materials for the stone structure.

Like this, Gwangtonggyo Bridge combines more than three stories of history. One is the history of Gwangtonggyo Bridge’s creation by King Taejong, the second is its covering during the Japanese Occupation of Korea and contemporary times, and the third one is the restoration of Gwangtonggyo Bridge in the process of restoring the Cheonggyecheon Stream. It would be great to remind ourselves that discovering history is also a part of important history.

Take in the view of Gwangtonggyo Bridge and head to the next stop.

The next stop is away from the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Pass under Gwangtonggyo Bridge and walk upstream a bit, and you’ll find a gargantuan sculpture called the Spring. It is where Cheonggye Square is. From here, turn north, which is toward Jongno and Gwanghawmun Square. And just before you reach Gwanghawmun Square, go to Kyobo Building and find the Monument for the 40th Anniversary of King Gojong's Enthronement, also called the Monument in short. We will continue our talk when we get there.