The builders of Changdeokgung Palace didn’t flatten the earth. They let the natural hills and valleys decide where the structures would go. Courtyards and wooden halls step up and down the uneven ground, blending into the forest—you can even see it in the skewed courtyard in front of the main throne hall.
When war left Seoul’s larger palaces in ashes in 1592, this one was rebuilt first. Kings ruled from here for generations, and some of the last royals lived on these grounds until 1989.
The most famous part of the palace is hidden at the back. More than half the property belongs to the Secret Garden. For centuries it was a private retreat, where kings came to read and rest by lotus ponds beneath trees that are still standing today.
