The palace of the Silla Dynasty in the Wolseong area of the Gyeongju Historical Area, a World Heritage Site
This is the royal castle of Silla, built during the reign of King Pasani Sageum (Park clan, AD 5), the 110th king of Silla. It is also called Half Moon Fortress because of its crescent shape. Wolseong Fortress is a small Silla-era castle built of earth and stone, with a circumference of 2,400 meters, and is surrounded by moats and rivers, making full use of the natural terrain.
Except for the periods of the 20th Silla king, Jabi Maripgan (Kim dynasty, 475), and the 21st Silla king, Soji Maripgan (Kim dynasty, 487), who established Myeonghalsanseong as the palace of Silla, it was the royal castle where Silla kings lived until their surrender to Goryeo in 935.
Gyeongju Wolseong Moat
A moat is a defensive structure that is created by digging a hole in the ground around the perimeter of a castle and filling it with water to prevent enemies from easily invading. Wolseong, which was the royal palace of Silla, was protected by water, with the Namcheon River on the south side and a moat on the north side.
Wolseong appears in various documents, including the entry in the "Samguk Sagi" that "in the year 101, Pasaisageum, the 5th king of Silla, built a fortress," but there are no records of its specific internal structure or surrounding facilities such as a moat. An excavation survey in 1984 revealed that a moat surrounded Wolseong except for the south side adjacent to Namcheon Stream, and some remains of houses and other structures were discovered on the northern outer perimeter of the moat. Several subsequent excavations have confirmed that the appearance and function of Wolseong's moat changed since Silla unified the Three Kingdoms.
Before the unification of the three kingdoms in the 4th to 7th centuries, they were pit moats shaped like waterways, with their main functions being defense and drainage. However, after the unification of the Three Kingdoms in the 8th century, they were built as stone moats, smaller in scale than before, and changed into the shape of multiple independent ponds connected by narrow waterways. During this period, the moats were more for aesthetic purposes than defense.
When government offices were expanded in the 8th and 9th centuries, the moats were further reduced in size and various buildings were built around them. The moats from this period were stone-built moats filled with water, and seven moats were reconstructed and renovated in 2022. Wolseong's moats are an important clue in estimating what Wolseong looked like in the past.
Wolseong is currently undergoing excavation, and the only remaining structure is the stone icehouse, a natural refrigerator shaped like a small hill built in the 18th century.
Stone ice storage
Tsukishiro during excavation
A view of downtown Gyeongju from Gyeongju Wolseong Fortress, with Cheomseongdae and Tomb Park visible in the distance.
Wolseong is one of the five Gyeongju Historic Areas that became UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2010. Wolseong is surrounded by other Gyeongju Historic Area World Heritage Sites such as Wolchi Pond, Gyeongju National Museum, Gyerim, Daereungwon, Cheonmachong Tomb, Cheomseongdae, and Hwangnyongsa Temple Site, so you can enjoy Gyeongju's cultural heritage on foot.
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| spot name | Gyeongju Wolseong Fortress Gyeongju |
| Address | 387-1 Inwang-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do 387-1 |
| Admission fee | Free |
| Details | Half Moon Castle Historic Site No. 16 / Stone Ice Storage Treasure No. 66 |
directions: It is about a 30-minute walk from Gyeongju Station or Gyeongju City Bus Terminal. There are city buses available, but we recommend walking as there are many Silla cultural properties scattered along the way to Wolseong.
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