Korea layover: Deokjinjin Fortress

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I thought I had left the Goryeo Dynasty behind when I left the Jeondeungsa Temple. However, the next stop in the tour was the Deokjinjin Fortress, a protective barrier built to protect the Ganghwa Strait. I noted the similarity between this fortress and the Samnangseong Fortress that surrounds the Jeondeungsa Temple.


Just as a reference, Ganghwa is an island on the western side of Korea, by the estuary of the Han River and the Yellow Sea. The Han River flows through Seoul, the capital of both the present-day South Korea and of the ancient Joseon Dynasty.

It was close to noon when we made the stop. Almost everyone in my tour group just had a glimpse of the fortress because of the heat. But I went on and explored. It's not everyday I get the chance to visit Korea, after all. 


Because of the strategic location of Ganghwa Island, it became a significant outpost in protecting and controlling the capital. As a result, the Goryeo Dynasty developed military fortifications, including the Deokjinjin Fortress. This was the site of a historic win of the Koreans against French troops.


During these peaceful times, of course, the fortress has become a tourist destination for people who want to visit historically important sites. The shores of the Ganghwa Strait has become a fisherman's spot as well.


Parts of the fortress has been converted to a well-manicured garden that proves to be an oasis for tourists. It proved to be a great place to cool down in the middle of the heatwave. Most of my tour group opted to stay here.


Aside from the Deokjinjin Fortress, I also saw the Namjang Battery. The remaining cannons in the battery point towards the sea... towards what might have been European and American warships that dared to go into the Ganghwa Strait in the late 1800s.


From the sea, I wonder how the battery looks like because grass covered the niches of the battery. Was this camouflage or nature taking over man's work?

One of the niches have a cannon on wheels. But the cannon balls were not in sight. I couldn't see much through the tiny hole, which made me wonder: Does this cannon's barrel actually fit through the hole?


As the noonday sun heated up the venue, even I had to stop my walk towards the end of the battery. I knew that there's more to the Deokjinjin Fortress than what I saw. But it's way too hot (the temperature was approaching the low 40s already, in Celsius) to explore further. So I retreated to the coolness of the bus. 

The provided a glimpse at how Koreans protected their territory from invaders. This fortress certainly reminded me of Intramuros and Fort Santiago... except that the fort is no longer surrounded by the Manila Bay due to the decades of reclamation that has pushed the sea further to the west.

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