Wonju Yeongwonsanseong Fortress

Yeongwonsanseong is a stone mountain fortress located in Chiaksan Mountain, Wonju. It was designated as a Historic Site of the Republic of Korea on June 2, 2003. There is a theory that this fortress was built during the reign of King Munmu of Silla, but there is no clear evidence for this. In the 17th year of King Chungnyeol of Goryeo (1291), when the Khitan forces of the Yuan Dynasty invaded, Won Chung-gap entered the fortress with local residents to defend it and decisively defeated the invaders. During the Joseon Dynasty, in the Imjin War, under the command of Magistrate Kim Je-gap, the residents of the Wonju area fought to the end but the fortress fell, resulting in the deaths of numerous soldiers and officers. It is considered one of the fiercest battlefields of that time. The fortress walls remain well-preserved in some sections on the eastern and northwestern sides, but are largely collapsed overall. The total circumference is approximately 2.4 km. According to old records, there was one well and five springs inside the fortress, and traces of the springs still remain today. In addition to the spring sites, building foundations and gate sites also remain within the fortress. Yeongwonsanseong shows the complete form of the most typical mountain fortress in terms of construction methods, academically well representing the characteristics of medieval mountain fortresses. Historically, it is a valuable heritage site for historical education, as fierce battles took place there during wars throughout the Goryeo and Joseon periods.