Arch of Triumph (Pyongyang)
Encyclopedia
The Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang was built to commemorate the Korea
n resistance to Japan
from 1925 to 1945.
Built in 1982 on the Triumph Return Square at the foot of Moran Hill
in the North Korea
n capital city of Pyongyang
, the monument was built to honour and glorify President Kim Il-sung
's role in the military resistance against Japanese rule
. Inaugurated on the occasion of his 70th birthday, each of its 25,500 blocks of finely-dressed white granite
represents a day of his life up to that point.
The structure is modelled after the Arc de Triomphe
and is slightly larger than the one in Paris. It is the world's tallest triumphal arch
, standing 60 metres (197 ft) high and 50 m (164 ft) wide. The arch has dozens of rooms, balustrades, observation platforms and elevators. It also has four vaulted gateways, each 27 m (89 ft) high, decorated with azalea
carved in their girth. Inscribed in the arch is the "Song of General Kim Il-sung", a revolutionary hymn, the year 1925, when North Korean history states that Kim set out on the journey for national liberation.
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n resistance to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
from 1925 to 1945.
Built in 1982 on the Triumph Return Square at the foot of Moran Hill
Moran Hill
Moran Hill is located in the central part of Pyongyang, the capital of the North Korea. The hill is noted for its curious features and scenery, as well as its political significance....
in the North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n capital city of Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, the monument was built to honour and glorify President Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
's role in the military resistance against Japanese rule
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
. Inaugurated on the occasion of his 70th birthday, each of its 25,500 blocks of finely-dressed white granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
represents a day of his life up to that point.
The structure is modelled after the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
and is slightly larger than the one in Paris. It is the world's tallest triumphal arch
Triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
, standing 60 metres (197 ft) high and 50 m (164 ft) wide. The arch has dozens of rooms, balustrades, observation platforms and elevators. It also has four vaulted gateways, each 27 m (89 ft) high, decorated with azalea
Azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
carved in their girth. Inscribed in the arch is the "Song of General Kim Il-sung", a revolutionary hymn, the year 1925, when North Korean history states that Kim set out on the journey for national liberation.