GANGHWA COUNTY

Golleung is the tomb of Empress Dowager Wondeok of the Yu clan (元德太后 柳氏), consort of King Gangjong, the 22nd ruler of Goryeo. She was the daughter of Seong (珹), Marquis Sinan (信安候), a member of the royal family. She adopted the surname Yu to avoid sharing the royal surname, although it is unclear whose surname she took. In 1212, the first year of King Gangjong’s reign, Lady Yu was invested as queen and given the title Princess Yeondeok (延德宮主). She was the mother of King Gojong, the 23rd ruler of Goryeo. She was later posthumously honored as Empress Dowager Wondeok, and the posthumous title Jeonggang (靖康) was added in 1253. Golleung is arranged in three tiers. The site had fallen into ruin, with the burial mound, stone retaining walls, and curved rear wall (曲墻) collapsed and the stone structures lost, before being repaired and restored in 1974. The original burial precinct is said to have contained stone statues of civil and military officials in accordance with the royal burial system of the late Goryeo period, but only the tomb marker remains today. On the upper tier, the original curved rear wall has been lost and replaced by a raised, crescent-shaped earthen embankment behind the circular burial mound. Some of the retaining stones around the front of the mound’s base have been restored. At the center of the second tier stands a small tomb marker inscribed “Golleung of Empress Dowager Wondeok of Goryeo” (高麗元德太后坤陵). Although stone statues of officials were generally placed on the second tier, all such stonework at Golleung has been lost, leaving no visible traces. On the lower tier, the presumed site of a T-shaped ritual pavilion has been cleared and arranged. The tomb was excavated by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in 2004 and restored to its present appearance.