Tombs of the Kings of the Joseon Dynasty
| Tombs of the Kings of the Joseon Dynasty | |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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| Yeongneung, the tomb of King Sejong |
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| National territory: |
 South Korea
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | (iii) (iv) (vi) |
| Reference No .: | 1319 |
| UNESCO region : | Asia and Pacific |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 2009 (session 33) |
Tombs of the Kings of the Joseon Dynasty is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site in South Korea . The serial world heritage site comprises 18 areas with a total of 40 tombs for the rulers of the Korean states Joseon (1392 to 1897) and Greater Korea (1897 to 1910) from the Joseon dynasty and their members.
background
The Joseon Dynasty came into being in 1392, when General Yi Song-gye from Goryeo, with the help of the Chinese Ming Dynasty, forced the then king to abdicate, made himself king under the name Taejo and thus founded a new dynasty. This dynasty ruled over an empire that encompassed the entire Korean Peninsula until the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910 . Until 1897 this was the Joseon Kingdom , from 1897 to 1910 the Korean Empire . Under the Joseon Dynasty, Confucianism was the state philosophy in Korea .
In 1394 King Taejo moved the capital of his empire from Gaeseong (today's Kaesŏng ) to Hanyang (in today's Seoul ). The tombs for Taejo and most of his successors were established near Hanyang and are therefore in or near the metropolitan area of modern Seoul. Their location and orientation were chosen according to Confucian principles. Confucian rituals to honor the deceased rulers of the Joseon dynasty are still held in the Jongmyo Shrine, which was built under Taejo from 1394 to 1395 and was added to the World Heritage List in 1995 . The ceremonies are organized by descendants of the royal family and are part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South Korea.
enrollment
The royal tombs of the Joseon dynasty were entered in the list of UNESCO World Heritage in 2009 based on a decision of the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee. In previous years, UNESCO declared two series of royal tombs on the Korean Peninsula as World Heritage: in 2000 the Tumuli Park in the historical sites of Gyeongju in South Korea with the tombs of the rulers of Silla (57 BC to 935 AD). BC) and in 2004 the Koguryŏ tomb complex in North Korea with tombs of the rulers of Goguryeo (37 BC to 668 AD). In 2015, two more groups of graves belonging to the rulers of Baekje (18 BC to 660 AD) followed as part of the World Heritage Site Historic Sites of Baekje , again in South Korea.
The reason for the entry states, among other things:
“The natural surroundings of the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, which are shaped by the principles of Pungsu, create a fine environment for the living tradition of ancestor worship and the rites associated with it. The royal tombs with their hierarchical arrangement of the areas from the profane to the sacred and their characteristic buildings and objects are an ensemble in which the historical past of the Joseon dynasty echoes. "
The entry was made on the basis of criteria (iii), (iv) and (vi).
“(Iii): In the context of Confucian cultures, the Joseon Royal Tombs' integrated approach to nature and the universe has resulted in a distinctive and significant burial tradition. By applying the Pungsu principles and maintaining the natural landscape, a memorable kind of holy place was created for the practice of ancestral rituals. "
“(Iv): The Joseon Royal Tombs are an outstanding example of a type of landscape architectural ensemble that represents a significant stage in the development of burial mounds related to Korean and East Asian tombs. With their reaction to the environment and their unique and regulated design of buildings, superstructures and related elements, the royal tombs manifest and reinforce the centuries-old tradition and living practice of ancestor worship through a prescribed series of rituals. "
“(Vi): The royal tombs of Joseon are directly linked to a living tradition of ancestor worship through the performance of strictly prescribed rites. State ancestral rites were regularly held during the Joseon Period, and except for political turmoil in the last century, they were carried out annually by the Royal Family Organization and the worship society of each royal tomb. "
scope
The World Heritage site comprises 18 separate areas, each with a cluster of burial sites. These have a total protection area of 1891.2 ha . The individual protection areas are each surrounded by buffer zones. which have a total area of 4660.1 ha.
The tomb clusters are divided into three areas according to their spatial arrangement: The eastern group (clusters E1 to E6, sixteen tombs) in the east of Gyeonggi-do province and in Gangwon-do province, the middle group (clusters M1 to M5, eight tombs) in Seoul and the western group (clusters W1 to W7, sixteen tombs) in the west of Gyeonggi-do Province. Each cluster includes one or more burial sites, each containing one or more graves. There are a total of 40 tombs, which are numbered chronologically in the order of the burials, with the graves of the posthumously appointed kings at the end.
In the following, the year of death is given for each person. If they were only buried later in the corresponding grave, the year of their burial is indicated with "enclosed."
| ID no. | designation | Location City / County Province |
Gravesites | Protection area | Buffer zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1319-001 | Donggureung Cluster (E1) | Inchang-dong Guri-si Gyeonggi-do |
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196.6 ha | 384.6 ha |
| 1319-002 | Hongyureung Cluster (E2) | Geumgok-dong Namyangju-si Gyeonggi-do |
121.1 ha | 360 hectares | |
| 1319-003 | Sareung cluster (E3) | Sareung-ri Namyangju-si Gyeonggi-do |
16 ha | 197.3 ha | |
| 1319-004 | Gwangneung Cluster (E4) | Bupyeong-ri Namyangju-si Gyeonggi-do |
|
105.9 ha | 318.6 ha |
| 1319-005 | Yeongneung Cluster (E5) | Wangdae-ri Yeoju-gun Gyeonggi-do |
200.8 ha | 426.9 ha | |
| 1319-006 | Jangneung Cluster (E6) | Yeongheung Yeongwol-gun Gangwon-do |
|
359.3 ha | 595.1 ha |
| 1319-007 | Seolleung Cluster (M1) | Samseong-dong Gangnam-gu Seoul |
24 ha | 20.7 ha | |
| 1319-008 | Heolleung cluster (M2) | Naegok-dong Seocho-gu Seoul |
63 ha | 128.1 ha | |
| 1319-009 | Taereung Cluster (M3) | Gongneung-dong Nowon-gu Seoul |
104.8 ha | 121.8 ha | |
| 1319-010 | Jeongneung Cluster (M4) | Jeongneung-dong Seongbuk-gu Seoul |
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29.7 ha | 27.5 ha |
| 1319-011 | Uireung cluster (M5) | Seokgwan-dong Seongbuk-gu Seoul |
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23 hectares | 52.9 ha |
| 1319-012 | Seooreung cluster (W1) | Yongdu-dong Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do |
183.3 ha | 349.6 ha | |
| 1319-013 | Seosamreung Cluster (W2) | Wondang-dong Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do |
137.3 ha | 411.5 ha | |
| 1319-014 | Olleung Cluster (W3) | Iryeong-ri Yangju-si Gyeonggi-do |
21.7 ha | 188.4 ha | |
| 1319-015 | Pajusamreung Cluster (W4) | Bongilcheeon-ri Paju-si Gyeonggi-do |
140.8 ha | 335.1 ha | |
| 1319-016 | Jangneung Cluster (W5) | Galhyeon-ri Paju-si Gyeonggi-do |
41.8 ha | 232.5 ha | |
| 1319-017 | Jangneung Cluster (W6) | Pungmu-dong Gimpo-si Gyeonggi-do |
51.6 ha | 251.9 ha | |
| 1319-018 | Yunggeolleung Cluster (W7) | Annyeong-ri Hwaseong-si Gyeonggi-do |
70.5 ha | 257.6 ha |
Types of graves
A total of 119 tombs of royal family members from the Joseon dynasty are known. Depending on the rank of the persons buried in them, they are divided into three types: the tombs of kings and persons who received the title of king posthumously, as well as their wives are called Neung (with the phonetic variants Reung or Leung ), the tombs of the crown princes and of their wives and the natural parents of the kings adopted to maintain the line of succession as won , and the graves of other members of the royal family such as princes, princesses and concubines as myo. There are both single and multiple graves. 42 of the known burial sites are of the Neung type, 13 of the Won type and 64 of the Myo type. Yeonsangun , the 10th king, and Gwanghaegun , the 15th king, who were deposed because of bad government, had been demoted to princes, their graves are therefore included in the group of the Myo tombs.
The 40 Neung tombs in South Korea are part of the world heritage. They are spread across 18 cluster locations, most of which are within a 40-kilometer radius of downtown Seoul . Two other Neung tombs lie near the former capital Kaesŏng in North Korea: Jereung, the tomb of Sineui, the first wife of the dynasty founder King Taejo , and Hureung, the tomb of Jeonjong (1400), the 2nd king of Kosen, and his wife Jungan.
The stylistic development of the Joseon tomb architecture over a period of more than five hundred years, from 1408 to 1966, is clearly visible in these tombs. The location and shape of the tombs follow classical Confucian texts such as the Book of Rites and the Rites of the Zhou . The requirements for the location relate, for example, to the distance from the capital, the distance between the royal tombs and access to them. The traditional rules of pungsu , the Korean form of Feng Shui, were also important for the choice of location . The traditional Korean burial rites and the natural conditions of the site also influenced the construction.
Typically the tombs face south, towards bodies of water and (ideally) with a view of mountain ranges on the horizon. The back of the graves usually forms a protective hill. The grave sites include a burial mound, which has a ceremonial area and an honorary entrance. A tomb also includes T-shaped wooden shrines, a hut for steles, a royal kitchen and a guard's house, a red gate and the house of the tomb keeper. Around a grave there are often animal and human figures made of stone, which are to be understood as homage to the dead.
literature
- Nomination of Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty for Inscription on the World Heritage List . 2009 (English, 998 pages, whc.unesco.org [PDF; 381.9 MB ] with four appendices).
- Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty . In: Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea (ed.): World Heritage in Korea . Nulwa, Seoul 2011, ISBN 978-89-90620-33-0 , pp. 114-127 (English).
Web links
- Tombs of the Kings of the Joseon Dynasty on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Individual evidence
- ^ English Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty , German translation according to the World Heritage List. In: Unesco.de. Retrieved February 11, 2017 . with adaptation of the transcription
- ↑ a b c d Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed February 6, 2017 .
- ↑ Decision: 33 COM 8B.15. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, 2009, accessed February 8, 2017 .
- ^ Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. Maps. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed February 16, 2017 .
- ↑ for the special city of Seoul: administrative district and city district
- ^ Nomination of Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty for Inscription on the World Heritage List. 2009, p. 61.
- ^ Nomination of Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty for Inscription on the World Heritage List. 2009, Appendix 2, p. 11.
- ^ Nomination of Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty for Inscription on the World Heritage List. 2009, p. 16.
Heritage: Seokguram Temple and Bulguksa Temple (1995) | Haeinsa Temple - repository of the Tripitaka Koreana (1995) | Jongmyo Shrine (1995) | Changdeokgung Palace (1997) | Hwaseong Fortress (1997) | Gyeongju Historic Sites (2000) | Dolmen sites of Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa (2000) | Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (2009) | Historic Villages of Hahoe and Yangdong (2010) | Namhansanseong Fortress (2014) | Baekje Historic Sites (2015) | Sansa, Buddhist mountain monasteries in Korea (2018) | Seowon (2019)
Natural heritage: Jeju volcanic island and lava tunnel (2007)
Map with all coordinates: