Hwaseong Fortress

Hwaseong Fortress

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iii)
Reference	817
Inscription	1997 (21st Session)
Website	www.swcf.or.kr
Coordinates	37°16′20″N 127°0′30″E / 37.27222°N 127.00833°E / 37.27222; 127.00833
Korean name
Hangul	수원 화성
Hanja	水原華城
Revised Romanization	Hwaseong
McCune–Reischauer	Hwasŏng

Hwaseong Fortress or Suwon Hwaseong (Korean: 수원 화성) is a Korean fortress surrounding the centre of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.^[1] It was built from 1794 to 1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon dynasty to house and honour the remains of his father, Prince Sado. Sado had been executed by being locked alive inside a rice chest by his own father King Yeongjo after failing to obey a command to commit suicide. Located 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Seoul and enclosing much of central Suwon, the fortress includes King Jeongjo's palace Haenggung. The fortress and enclosed palace were designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997. It comprises among many other features the palace, a perimeter wall, four main gates, and two sluicegates over the Suwoncheon, Suwon's main stream, which flows through the centre of the fortress.