The Independence Gate is a memorial gate located in Seoul, South Korea. The gate was built following the first Sino-Japanese war to inspire a spirit of independence away from previous Korean arrangement as a Chinese tributary state.
The Independence Gate was built to replace the Yeongeunmun Gate, which was a symbol of diplomatic relations between Korea and Qing Dynasty. To raise funds for the building, the Independence Club collected contributions.
Construction of the gate began on November 21, 1896, and it was completed on November 20, 1897. The design, by Seo Jae-pil, was modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It measures 14.28 meters in height, 11.48 meters in width, and is made of approximately 1,850 pieces of granite.
In 1979, it was moved from its original position 70 meters northwest by rezoning.
Coordinates: 37°34′20.25″N 126°57′35.23″E / 37.5722917°N 126.9597861°E / 37.5722917; 126.9597861
Read more about Independence Gate: Location
Famous quotes containing the words independence and/or gate:
“Independence I have long considered as the grand blessing of life, the basis of every virtue; and independence I will ever secure by contracting my wants, though I were to live on a barren heath.”
—Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797)
“You, mistress,
That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,
And keeps the gate of hell!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)