Paekmasan Fortress

The Paekmasan Fortress is a walled fortress in Phihyon County, North Korea. It is listed as a National Treasure of North Korea.

The fortress dates from the era of the Koguryo Kingdom; the outer walls were reinforced during the Koryo Dynasty and the Joseon Dynasty. The complex is built around the area of Mt. Paekma.^[1]

The walls of the fortress feature both inner and outer walls; the inner walls are 2590 meters long were reinforced in 1014-1017 with Uma Walls built during the Koguryo Kingdom as bedding. The outer walls are 2430 meters long and were built in 1753; they are five to seven meters high. The outer walls feature several arch-shaped gates in the east, west, south and north; a two-storied building located at the south gate was destroyed during the Japanese occupation of the area.^[1]

The enclosed area inside the fortress has 13 ponds, 32 wells, as well as an armory, a food storehouse and barracks. ^[1]

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