Imperial Citadel of Hue (Citadel) description and photos - Vietnam: Hue (Topic)

Imperial Citadel of Hue (Citadel) description and photos - Vietnam: Hue. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Citadel.

Photo and description

The citadel began to be built at the beginning of the 19th century. Initially, the Citadel was built from the ground, but in the first decades of the 19th century. tens of thousands of people worked on the construction of ramparts, built in the style of the French military engineer Vauban. Inside the Citadel there is the Imperial City - a kind of copy of the Forbidden City of Beijing.

During the war with the United States, the Citadel and the Imperial City were badly damaged and only about twenty of the one and a half hundred buildings survived. Partially, reconstruction and restoration of buildings is underway, but much remains in ruins.

The Ngomon Gate leads into the Citadel and has five entrances: the central one for the emperor, two for the royal elephants and two more for the royal mandarin servants. The gate is crowned by a huge Watchtower of five phoenixes. Here in 1945 the last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty signed his abdication.

The Kot Ko signal tower rises above the southern fortifications of the Citadel. Not far from it and the gate of Ngan is the parade square, on which nine bronze cannons are installed - the so-called dynastic cannons. They symbolize the four seasons and the five ritual elements.

We also recommend reading Devil's Bridge (Teufelsbruecke) description and photos - Austria: Finkenberg

Topic: Imperial Citadel of Hue (Citadel) description and photos - Vietnam: Hue.