The Garden Palace: Toksu-Gung
Near City Hall, Seoul.
Toksu-Gung: The Palace of Virtuous Longevity. This palace despite its rather convivial inception, has sustained a rather turmultuous history. It has served twice as the temporary royal residence: the first time for 15 years after the sacking of Seoul by Toyama Hideyoshi in 1592: and again between 1896 and 1907 when King Kojong (the 26th King) sook assylum in the Russian Legation behind the palace complex following the murder of his wife.
In 1909, the Georgian style Sok-jo-jon was completed, and is now an annex to the National Museum of Modern Art. Along side the western style buildings that are juxtaposed, but somewhat harmoniously with the tradition buildings of Toksu-Gung, is a western style garden.
Not only does it have wonderful korean style gardens, and Yi dynasty period 'classical' architecture, it sports some wonderful western style gardens, and a most interestingly beside a beautiful and rather large bell, the oldest wooden cannon in Korea, with fired rockets in the 15th century, how cool is that?