New meets old

"The Palace of Prosperity and Happy Events" - this is how you can translate the name that the palace received in 1483, during the reign of King Seonjong; although the palace was originally built under the name of Sugangun (수강궁) - at the beginning of the 15th century by King Sejong for his father, the "retired" king, Taejong...

The irreverent Japanese occupiers officials set up a zoo and a botanical garden here. The zoo, however, has long since moved, but the garden has remained. All the palaces in Seoul were built not for the development of the royal treasury, but for a specific purpose. Here, Changgyeonggung was originally the residence of Taejeong (see above), and then it was significantly expanded / updated to get rid of annoying queens and especially conveniently accommodate the most revered dowager queens. A lot of interesting things happened in it and not related to the queens, for example, it was here that the famous box for staining the prince of storing rice stood, into which King Yeongjo ordered his son, the heir to Sado, to climb.

Seonggyungwan was the highest educational institution in Chosun (1392-1897).

A cultural center designed by Tadao Ando, renowned for his minimalist approach and masterful use of light and space.

"The significance of architecture is as important as the significance of education. Architecture, like education, provides a space where people can gather and exchange ideas. If architecture lacks the ability to organize and bring people together, it is not architecture. I always think of architecture as something that gathers people."

"Architecture is the art of experience; we see, feel the surface with our hands, walk through the interior of a building – and, in doing so, better understand our own thoughts."

Tadao Ando

The uniqueness of the JCC Art Center complex lies in the fact that it is the only building by Pritzker Prize laureate Tadao Ando in Korea, constructed within the "four fortress gates of Seoul" (i.e., in its historical center). You can find other masterpieces by Ando in Korea; however, this one is the most accessible to the public, being located in the heart of the metropolis. The thematic essence of this masterpiece, which suddenly emerges before us in a narrow alley leading towards the small fortress gate of Hyehwa, is this: "People meet, fall in love, argue, clash – on a small street..." A new challenge for the architect was the slope of the hill along which the alley runs – typically, Ando's creations are associated with straight vertical and horizontal lines.

The complex consists of two standalone buildings. The Art Center and Creative Center are like brothers, members of the same family, separated but inherently connected.