민영환 자결터

The Most Important Bridge of the Joseon Dynasty Gwangtonggyo Bridge, constructed around 600 years ago, lay buried for over a century until its recent restoration. Originally, Gwangtonggyo Bridge was located at the site where Gwanggyo Bridge stands today, but it was later relocated to its current location to protect the old Gwanggyo Bridge. The relocation altered the water flow from left to right. Upon closer inspection of the stone blocks, you’ll notice some of them are much darker than the others. Beneath the bridge, you’ll also find several stone blocks engraved with an image of a divine guardian surrounded by patches of cloud, reminiscent of characteristics found in the tombs of kings and queens. Remarkably, these stones were collected from there. One might ponder how such valuable artistic pieces found their way into a bridge's construction. The answer lies in a feud between members of the royal family during the early Joseon Dynasty. Queen Sindeok, the stepmother of Yi Bang-won, denied his rightful rank of crown prince to appoint her own son, Yi Bang-seok, to be the crown prince. Yi Bang-won despised the queen for depriving him of his title, and never forgave her, even after her death. When he finally assumed the throne as King Taejong, the third king of Joseon, he relocated the queen’s grave and used the stones from her tomb to construct the bridge. Despite originating from a foundation of animosity, the bridge became an essential passageway for royal processions and foreign envoy visits. In addition, various folk festivals were held on the bridge, particularly on the first full moon day of the month. People flew kites on the bridge and played stepping stones game at night. During these events, individuals from different social classes mingled, strolling back and forth across the bridge all night long. This was a notable occasion as it was a time when people were officially permitted to walk outside at night. The belief that traversing the bridge would safeguard legs from injury or disease was prevalent. People also believed that eating seasoned vegetables, peanuts, chestnuts, and other types of nuts on that day could drive away evil spirits who assumed ghosts and evil spirits hated the sound of cracking a nut. Would you be interested in strolling across the bridge, just as people did centuries ago?