Description of the attraction
Namdaemun Gate is one of the eight Seoul gates in the city wall that surrounded the city during the Joseon Dynasty. Namdaemun Gate is located between Seoul Station (Central Railway Station) and Seoul Plaza. Next to this historical monument is the historic Namdaemun Market, which is open 24 hours a day.
The official name of the Namdaemun gate is Sunnemun, which means "the gate of exalted ceremonies". The gate was built in the XIV century in the form of a pagoda and occupies the first place in the National Heritage List of the Republic of Korea.
Once, the Namdaemun Gate was one of the three main gates in the Seoul city wall, the height of the gate was about 6 meters. Before a fire in 2008, when the Namdaemun Wooden Gate Pagoda burned down, this structure was one of the oldest wooden buildings in Seoul. The construction of the gate began in 1395 and ended in 1398. In 1447, the gate was rebuilt, and was periodically reconstructed over the centuries.
At the beginning of the 20th century, part of the city walls were demolished in order to improve the transport situation in the city. In 1907, the gate was closed to the public after the authorities set up an electric tram line nearby. The Namdaemun Gate was badly damaged during the Korean War. In 1961 the gate was restored and reopened in 1963. The next restoration of the gate was in 2005, a lawn was laid around the gate, and in 2006 the grand opening took place.
During this restoration, a detailed 182-page plan of the gate was made in case the monument was damaged. Such an incident was not long in coming and happened in 2008, when a fire broke out and a wooden pagoda at the top of the gate was damaged in a fire. In 2010, the restoration of the gate began, which ended in 2013.
