Namhansanseong (남한산성)
Sometimes referred to as the Great Wall of Korea, this massive fortress consists of 11.7 kilometers of stone, masonry walls, closely following the terrain as Korean fortifications generally do. These long walls connect what is essentially five distinct peaks, creating a massive, hollow interior filled with numerous temples, palace compounds and several villages. The fortification served as the last refuge of the Korean royalty, army and people for centuries, and ultimately the very spot where a Korean king was forced to surrender his nation to an invading Manchu army in 1636.
Located along the strategic route from Busan to Seoul, there has been a fortification of one type or another there since 672 AD, with initial construction done by the Kingdom of Silla. The current version of the fortress was ordered built following the Japanese invasion in 1592, but was not completed until 1624. Modification and modernization continued at the fortress until the Japanese colonial period when the occupiers demolished large portions of the wall in 1907 as it had become a center for Korean resistance.
The huge fortification was featured in a 2017 Korean movie by the same name "Namhansanseong" (released in English, I believe as “The Fortress”). Not the most exciting of films, but highlights this remarkable feat of engineering and gives a good idea of the plight of the troops ordered to defend this bastion against the besieging Manchus.
You can find more information on Namhansanseong here.
A revised note for potential visitors having now returned for the first time in ten years. The inside areas have become VERY commercialized, with shops, cafes, and restaurants taking the place of what used to be adequate parking. Thus, your best bet to visit Namhansanseong during the peak fall period is by bus, especially on the weekends, otherwise not only will you spend an inordinate amount of time trying to enter on the two roads which pass through the wall, but you’ll struggle to find a place to park once inside. These delays are SERIOUS and meant the difference between another full circumvallation of the long walls (which would have been my fourth) or only making it half-way around. All that said…a MUST visit while in Korea!
(click to view enlarged pictures)
Namhansanseong Map
This is a map of the fortress and its environs. It's as big as it looks, and several small villages exist within the long, snaking walls.
South Gate (Jihwamun)
If arriving at the base and climbing up from the southwest, this is your first real glimpse of the fortress. The walls stretch up and over the nearest ridge lines in both directions from here.
Western Command Post (Sueojangdae)
One of five original command posts, it is the only surviving example at the fortress. In 1624 it was only one story high, the second being added in 1751. From these locations military leaders were expected to command the defense of Namhansanseong.
The West Gate (Uikmun)
There is a narrow path leading to this gate, but as you can see, the mountain is pretty steep at this point. From these walls it seems you're looking straight down into the tree-strewn valley far below. An arrow would carry a long ways in defense of this position.
Yeonjubongongseong
A mouthful to be sure, and one of the most recently renovated segments of Namhansanseong. Here a narrow section of wall leads out through a secret gate to what can only be described as a miniature almost stand-alone fortification. The peak--and by extension the masonry construction seated upon it--offers incredible sight lines in all directions.
The North Gate (Cheonseungmun)
Another gate opening onto a very steep descent. Just climbing up the hill wearing armor and carrying heavy steel weaponry would have been exhausting, to say nothing of fighting once you'd reached the top.
Secret Gates
This particular gate empties onto an extremely narrow trail that scales rather than climbs the steep slope. These secret gates were designed to facilitate clandestine sorties by the garrison as well as providing a means of receiving logistical support and were fundamental to the Korean method of building fortifications.
An inside view of one of Namhansanseong’s secret gates. Fairly humble, they were intended to facilitate supply and sorties against a besieging force, not caravans of pack animals as with the larger gates. Even if such a gate were forced by the enemy, its easy to see that defending such a portal would not be difficult for defenders.
Stairs Along the Northeast Wall
Easily the steepest stretch of wall at Namhansanseong. You really feel for the garrison soldiers who probably climbed these stairs multiple times during any given guard shift. To say nothing of trying to do it when they were covered in snow and ice!
The limited time available to my latest visit led to a decision to traverse the walls “backward” meaning counter-clockwise. I’d never done this before and so despite having walked the entire length of the fortress walls several times before, I saw new things this time around. That includes this nasty and altogether uncomfortable descent…previously known to me as the most painful climb of a clockwise hike of the fortress!
The city of Seoul lies just north of Namhansanseong, barely visible here. In Joseon times, Seoul was entirely situated north of Namsan Mountain and only in the last century spread south of those heights and then crossed the Han River. That last expansion, toward the Jamsil area, is what you see here. Incidentally, the monument stone erected in 1637 by the Manchus after their victory over Joseon, the Samjeondo, remains there, beside Lotte World Magic Island. Its original location was closer to the crossing point of the Han River used by the Manchus in their approach.
"Outer Fortress" (Bongamseong)
The wonderful reason to visit places like this in person is you get to "discover" a bit. Bongamseong was an outer fortress built in 1686 to help address what was considered to be a weakness in the fortress design, approach and attack through the mountains. Bongamseong defended against attack from the east, fortifying the extended ridge line in that direction and making approach up those narrow but traversable defiles much more difficult. I don't have many good pictures beyond this gate and a section of crumbling wall, as Bongamseong has not (yet?) been renovated and the stone can be difficult to pick out from the foliage in the photos I do have. That said, this is a really cool part of the fortress to explore, and I felt like a little kid again tramping around through the brush searching out ruined and overgrown walls, parapets, and gates. This section of Namhansanseong provides, perhaps, a better idea of the state of these fortifications prior to the massive renovation project that restored the walls to their former (and current) glory.
If you expand this photo and look carefully, you can see the trace of this dramatic expansion out beyond the renovated main walls of the fortress. This was the state of all Namhansanseong before renovation began on the incredible site in the 1970s.
Later Additions
At three locations along the southern section of the fortress were later additions to the fortress reflecting changing technology and thinking about defensive works in general. These three bulbous constructs--like the one pictured here--extend the fortress walls and reduce to a minimum the dead space an attacker could use to approach the ramparts. These additions are all fitted with cannon revetments designed to facilitate fires directed down the steep approaches.
East Gate
The wall just west of the East Gate has been removed to allow the passage of the road into the south side of Namhansanseong. This is what creates the “cut-away” look from this side of the gate complex. The wall rises dramatically east of this gate and you head up toward some of the highest points of the massive fortress.
Inside the South Gate (Jihwamun)
This gate lies nearest the tourist facilities to include many restaurants (several featuring dishes made with the local specialty, tottori or acorn flour) as well as the usual selection of hiking and mountain biking shops.