Heunginjimun

The Dongdaemun (Korean: "Great East Gate ', official name: Heung -in- ji -mun (兴仁 之 门): " Gate of the ascending goodness " ) is one of four original gates of the South Korean capital, Seoul. The Dongdaemun is located in central Seoul today and not in the eastern part, as one might expect at first. This is due to the expansion of the urban area. At first it belonged to the administrative district of Dongdaemun -Gu (administrative district Dongdaemun ). After several changes, it now belongs to the administrative district of Jongno ( Jongno -gu ), which itself Koreans a little confused.

The meaning of the name

The importance of the official name comes from the main elements of the Confucian doctrine, namely, goodness, justice, courtesy, wisdom and faithfulness. The term Heung -in- ji -mun ( unofficial name: Dongdaemun ) includes the word goodness, which is hidden behind the syllables "In" 인 (仁). The syllable " Heung " 흥 (兴) means boom, the syllable " Mun " 문 (门) means the target. The official names of all the original 4 gates had 3 syllables. At the East Gate, Dongdaemun an exception was made. The reason for this was the location where this originated. According to Feng Shui the east gate is due to the fact that it is surrounded by Inwang Mountain, in a low-energy environment, since this mountain compared to other mountains in and around Seoul is lower. Therefore, we added the name to one syllable, which should provide greater force. The following syllable was used: The " Ji " 지 (之). The reason for this choice lies in the shape of the Chinese character (之), which is similar to a mountain range and thus to express force. However, the meaning of this sign has no special connection to the east gate, it simply means " go ".

History

The Dongdaemun arose during the Joseon Dynasty, and was built by the first King Taejo in 1396.

In 1453 the eastern gate was restored and rebuilt in 1869 after complete destruction by the Japanese invasion of Hideyoshi again.

Design / architecture

The Dongdaemun is divided into 5 sections, alongside and laterally into two sections. On the granitic foundation, in which input and output are integrated, a 2-storey building was constructed of wood in a traditional hanok style. The roof is covered with black bricks that elegantly arching upwards, so that it gives the impression as if it were equal to ascend into the sky. Capitals of wood, usually located just above the columns were also installed between the individual columns. However, it can be seen that this ( the south gate ) effect compared to Namdaemun less detailed, less processed accurately and the color compost ion disharmonious. This feature is especially on buildings that were built at the end of the Joseon Dynasty to watch. The Dongdaemun was rebuilt after the complete destruction only towards the end of the Joseon Dynasty. During this time, culture and architecture experienced a significantly erkennden step backwards compared to the heyday of that dynasty.

The first floor is without doors and windows. On the second floor are between all columns doors and windows. The interior is based on the second floor through the roof beams columns, which is very uncharacteristic of the traditional design. This is mainly due to the fact that this building was coming no residential function. The traditional wooden floor can only be found on the second floor. Another special feature is that the roof structure was not covered from the inside with clay, but was just leave it like that. This was not necessary, because the function of this building served only to control.

Dongdaemun Today

The Dongdaemun is now one of the most important preserved national treasures. The area around Dongdaemun is now known particularly through the Dongdaemun Market. Here you will find more than 1000 shops, but the clothes, fabrics and accessories offer many small restaurants. Since 1905, the Dongdamun market has developed into a textile market place of superlatives, which grew with the construction of a large textile market until today one of the most important locations of the Asian textile industry since 1961. A hastily erected over a river during the economic recovery expressway was dismantled consuming and the river restored. The city administration is striving side of the restored river ( Cheonggyecheon ) to create a visually attractive and more exclusive business environment.