Description of the attraction
The Forbidden Purple City is the main attraction of the ancient city of Hue. The city, located on the Fragrant River, was the center of the Nguyen Empire for several centuries. Hue has preserved a large number of historical values and cultural attractions. The Purple City is considered to be such a historical heritage. Many states had Forbidden Cities. Vietnam is no exception. Only the emperor with his family, concubines, as well as the servants accompanying him, had the right to appear in this city and live in it. The duties of a servant were performed, as a rule, by eunuchs.
The Purple City is located inside the famous Citadel, built by order of the Vietnamese emperors to protect all the inhabitants of the forbidden city. Currently, the Citadel has been restored, its impressive interior is entered through the midday gate. For five hundred years, the Purple City was famous for its amazingly beautiful palaces and excessive luxury. From here, the emperor ruled over the entire empire. Every inhabitant of the country dreamed of seeing this city.
In 1968, American troops destroyed it almost to the ground. Only part of the library and a fragment of the building of the royal theater survived. In the difficult post-war years, the territory was occupied by agricultural land.
After the Forbidden City of Purple was added to the World Heritage List on the initiative of UNESCO, restoration work began here. Currently, the two-story library has been partially restored. Nearby is the base of the theater. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century and housed the National Conservatory within its walls. The restoration of this architectural monument has now begun.
