Seoul and Namhansanseong Fortress

Namhansanseong, which was built in the middle of the 8th century, has an area of 2,126,637㎡, and the total length of the wall is 12.356km. It is located in the southern part of Seoul and is a mountain fortress for the defense of Hanyang, the ancient capital of Korea(Chosun Dynasty), along with Bukhansanseong (northern mountain fortress of Seoul).
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It was a major mountain fortress that set up a special warehouse to store military supplies. It was considered to be the most important relic in the understanding of the process and function of the typical mountain fortress at that time.
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The historical and cultural value of Namhansanseong was highly recognized and it was newly listed as a World Heritage Site at the UNESCO General Conference held in Doha, Qatar in June 2014.

The height is 515 meters, and the outside of the wall is sloping, but the slope is gentle on the inside, so it is advantageous for defense, but the enemy's approach is difficult.The movie‘Namhansansung’, which was released in 2017, can be seen in the historical background and the terrible battle scenes. It is a movie based on the 47-day battle of Chosun(Korea) in 1636, which fought against the invasion of Qing (China).Namhansanseong is a place where such historical traces remain. I could reach the summit by hiking for 2 hours from the bus stop.


‘Sueojangdae’ -Namhansanseong Command Headquarters-

The entrance to Mt. Namhansanseong can be easily found at the bus stop. Many Seoul residents enjoy hiking on weekends. I am also enjoying the hike here two or three times a month. This time, it took a very long time to come to Namhan Mountain. The starting point of the mountain was gentle and I could feel a spring.

I felt the breath of the soldiers along the way that they would climb up and down for 47 days-battle. History is a record of the winner, but regardless of their choice, the soldier who died on this battlefield would also have been someone's father, husband, brother and precious family. Maybe it could be the flowers that the souls let bloom. No, they were soldiers’ souls themselves. A little chilly spring breeze came up like a sad historical wave.
A stone pagoda with somebody's longing wishes appeared in front of me. The sadness, hopes and prayers of many people must be contained in it. It seemed that the last prayer of the soldiers who died in this battlefield is heard.

There was a bust of a mountain grandfather when I went up a little. It was built to honor his merit that made the trail. It seemed that benevolent smile, teaches people who are hiking. 'Living is happy. It is greater and happier for you to serve others. ‘

I walked for about two hours and finally the west gate was showing up. It would also be meaningful to appreciate the images of soldiers entering the west gate for the battle in the harsh winter weather.

It seemed that the prayers for the families of the soldiers who devoted their lives in defiance of the Ching (China) army to defend Joseon (Korea) still seemed to be heard. Only the chilly spring breeze passed through the wall of the moss and the pavilion above it.

-Watchtower in the picture above-

The inside of the wall is flat and suitable for defense. Now, the royal azaleas are bursting with shy buds. When a lot of royal azaleas bloom here, it is as if they have a red carpet. Like the hot blood of the soldiers who gave their lives at that time, this place will soon be painted with a scarlet light. If you come here, you will face the history of that hot hearts.

-Royal azalea flowers inside the walls-

If you start from here and walk along the wall, you can feel the present and past ensemble while looking at the contemporary Seoul scenery.
It was a beautiful view of Seoul from the viewpoint of the Observatory of Namhan Mountain. I could see the Lotte Tower and the Han River. Beyond that, I could see the N Seoul Tower of Namsan, too. I looked at the Namsan N Seoul Tower for a long time. Suddenly, I remembered the Namsan Road with cherry blossoms all over it. Namsan Mountain was almost within reach, but the cherry blossoms and her fragrance are gone

If you come here once, you will fall in love with the view. And you will never forget the night view of Seoul that I enjoyed here.

It was much easier and less time consuming than I expected to go down the mountain. An hour or so was enough. The petals blew like a blizzard from the cherry blossoms in the valley. The petals flowed and flowed down, and the water of the valley became pale pink.

The flowers I met on the way down were beautiful. The fragrance of the flowers seemed to cover the mountains along the valley. These flowers will also disappear after the spring. But in my heart it seems to be a scent of eternal memories.
There was a quiet house at the point where I almost came down the mountain. The feast of flowers blooming in the garden seemed to tell the scent of spring and history that I felt as I climbed Namhan Mountain.

I felt a healing in my mind for a long time with a wonderful hike of about 3 hours.