Hwangudan

Royal shrine in Seoul, South Korea

Hwangudan (hangul=환구단) was a shrine complex that still partially stands in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. The complex consisted of two main buildings: a coronation site and Hwanggungu (hangul=황궁우). The coronation site was built in late 1897 and destroyed in 1913. Hwanggungu was built in 1899 and still stands today. The coronation site was built as the site of King Gojong's ritual declaration of the Korean Empire. Upon his ascendency, Gojong performed the Rite of Heaven, a ritual that had not been performed by a Korean monarch for hundreds of years. The ritual was normally reserved for Sons of Heaven, but Korea had been a tributary state to China for centuries. The coronation site was demolished by the Japanese colonial government and replaced with the Josun Railway Hotel (hangul=조선철도호텔). The Josun Hotel's successor, the still stands on the location of the hall, with Hwanggungu nearby. Hwangudan was designated South Korea's Historic Site No. 157 on July 15, 1967, but it is still relatively unknown to both locals and tourists. The complex has gone by a number of other names, including Wongudan (hangul=원구단), Jecheondan (hangul=제천단) and Wondan (hangul=원단).

Korean monarchs of the Three Kingdoms and Goryeo periods have historically made sacrifices to heaven across the peninsula. The practice was Confucianized with the adoption of the round altar ritual by Seongjong of Goryeo in 983.

Despite the celebrations, Korea was only nominally independent; it was then quickly drifting under the influence of the Empire of Japan, which eventually formally colonized it in 1910.

Hwangudan's design was heavily inspired by the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The coronation site consisted of three progressively smaller platforms with a golden awning over the top platform and a granite wall surrounding the lowest. The bottom floor was around 144 cheok (unit very close to a foot. Around 48 meters) in diameter, the middle 72 cheok (24 m), and the top 36 cheok (12 m). The lower two platforms each had nine steps that led up to the next one. The overall structure was designed by A scale model of the building was on display at the Seoul Museum of History in 2017. Hwanggungu is a three storied octagonal shrine north of the main hall. Several other smaller structures and relics still exist in the area. The original gate and main gate leading to Hwanggungu are original, although the main gate was moved away and back to its current spot. In addition, three stone drums (hangul=석고단) that feature dragon decorations are nearby Hwanggungu. These drums were made in 1902 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Gojong's reign.