Hyehwamun
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| Hyehwamun | |
|---|---|
 Front of Hyehwamun, viewed from the east, May 2012 | |
 Interactive map of the Hyehwamun area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Gate |
| Location | Seoul, South Korea |
| Coordinates | 37°35′16.58″N 127°00′14.16″E / 37.5879389°N 127.0039333°E |
| Year built | 1396, 1992 (rebuilt) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 혜화문 |
| Hanja | 惠化門 |
| RR | Hyehwamun |
| MR | Hyehwamun |
Hyehwamun (Korean: 혜화문), also known as Northeast Gate, is one of the Eight Gates of Seoul in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon period. The gate is also known as Dongsomun (동소문; lit. 'East Small Gate').
The gate was originally called Honghwamun (홍화문; 弘化門).
Hyehwamun was originally built in 1396, and was originally called Honghwamun. But this name came into conflict with the east gate of Changgyeonggung Palace, built in 1483. So in 1511, the name was changed to its current name.[1] The gate's wooden gatehouse, constructed either in 1684 or 1744, was brought down in 1928, leaving only the stone archway standing. Later in the Japanese colonial period, the entire gate was brought down to make room for a street car line linking Hyehwa-dong and Donam-dong. The gate was rebuilt in 1992, slightly further north than the site of the previous gate. The name Hyehwamun means literally "Distribution of Wisdom Gate."[2] It is one of the Four Small Gates (사소문) in the Fortress Wall of Seoul. Since the gate to the north, it was an important gate for people to move toward the north of the country.[3]
