Apr 2, 2011
Sanseong history:
Korea is called "a country of sanseong (mountain fortress)." Korean ancestors developed unique defense facilities by using the natural environment of the Korean peninsula where mountains and hills are abundant. There are 2,400 sanseong sites all over Korea. In Chungbuk (my province), there are 212 sanseongs.
Sangdangsanseong history:
Sangdangsanseong was a fortress located at the center of traffic and defense of Korea's central region. A large-scale stone fortress on the slopes of Uamsan (Uam Mountain), there is no record of when it was actually built. However, the initial building dates to the Three Kingdoms Period. It went through nine stages of repairs, as it was designated as an army post. The present structure is the one rebuilt by King Sukjong in 1716, after its restoration in 1596 from damage during the Japanese invasion. There are now three main gates, east, west, and south; two plain gates; three turrets; and three waterways. Within the walls lies a small tourist village that has several restaurants.
My trips:
I've made 2 trips to Sangdangsanseong and both have been drastically different. There are 2 ways to climb this fortress. You can 1) drive to the fortress' main gate, park your car and walk the wall and 2) park your car at the bottom of the mountain, hike up to the fortress gate and then walk the wall. The latter is a lot harder!
Sangdangsanseong was a fortress located at the center of traffic and defense of Korea's central region. A large-scale stone fortress on the slopes of Uamsan (Uam Mountain), there is no record of when it was actually built. However, the initial building dates to the Three Kingdoms Period. It went through nine stages of repairs, as it was designated as an army post. The present structure is the one rebuilt by King Sukjong in 1716, after its restoration in 1596 from damage during the Japanese invasion. There are now three main gates, east, west, and south; two plain gates; three turrets; and three waterways. Within the walls lies a small tourist village that has several restaurants.
My trips:
I've made 2 trips to Sangdangsanseong and both have been drastically different. There are 2 ways to climb this fortress. You can 1) drive to the fortress' main gate, park your car and walk the wall and 2) park your car at the bottom of the mountain, hike up to the fortress gate and then walk the wall. The latter is a lot harder!
The 1st time was with Mrs. Han Su Hwan, her 2 daughters (Hee Rang and Chae Won) and Hee Rang's friend. Mrs Han, Chae Won and I ended up hiking while Hee Rang and her friend stayed in the car. Mrs. Han drove to the fortress' main gate and we walked around the fortress wall. It was like a long walk in the park. Nothing too strenuous or anything.
We bumped into some of the workers coming back from lunch and they let us play with some of their props and costumes. ^^
The 2nd time was during the school picnic. Each major department had lunch at different places of the city that was relevant to their major. For example: aviation department had their picnic at the Cheongju Airport where they sometimes have their classes. The group I went with ended up going to Sangdangsanseong. In my head I was thinking of the 1st time I hiked it. I was completely wrong. We parked the cars at the parking lot off the main street, gathered the students (I'm thinking we were gonna take a bus up there), and then everyone just started walking towards a path along the street. This path eventually lead to an actual path on the mountain (Uam Mountain). This hike got a bit intense at times with what looked like unending stairs and long inclines.
