Cheonggyecheon history and culture entry
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Gwanggyo Bridge
Gwanggyo Bridge in cheonggyecheon in Gwanggyo Bridge During the period of Joseon, Kwangtonggyo Bridge was located where now the Gwanggyo Bridge is built. G
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Description
Gwanggyo Bridge During the period of Joseon, Kwangtonggyo Bridge was located where now the Gwanggyo Bridge is built. Gwanggyo Bridge was built during the restoration work of Cheonggyecheon Stream in 2005. Kwangtonggyo Bridge that had remaining parts of its original form was moved 155 meters up the stream, and was restored there. Gwanggyo is a bridge linking the huge road heading towards the North Jongno and South Sungnyemun Gate. It was newly built considering the movement of vehicles and people, and it was named after the byname of Kwangtonggyo Bridge, ‘Gwanggyo’. A bridge that was the main passage of Joseon’s capital During the era of Joseon Dynasty, Kwangtonggyo Bridge was located where now the Gwanggyo Bridge is built, and it was the main passage connecting the ‘Yookcho Street’, the street of Joseon's government office, ‘Jongru’, a bell tower, and ‘Sungnyemun Gate’, the south gate of Hanyang. Therefore, this bridge was mainly used by the king during a royal march or by Chinese ambassadors when they entered Gyeongbokgung Palace from their official residence. There were a great number of people ambulating simultaneously during the ceremonial march, so Gwanggyo Bridge was built particularly wide for smooth traffic. Gwanggyo Bridge and Sijeon Market At the north of Gwanggyo, the greatest marketplace of Joseon, Sijeon was located. A store in Sijeon professionally traded one specific type of item, so there were various shops. Alleys of Sijeon were usually multi-layered because they were intersected both vertically and horizontally. The Sijeon was located in Jongno, so this district was called the ‘Unjongga’, meaning that a large number of crowd would gather like clouds in every alley of Sijeon. Gwanggyo Bridge was always jam packed with buyers, sellers, and bystanders. Just like in ancient times, Gwanggyo is still the most widely used bridge among all the 22 bridges at Cheonggyecheon Stream, which worths its name that means ‘broadly used’.
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Source
Korea Tourism Organization and Visit Seoul.