Daegu fortress which was constructed in 1736 and demolished in 1907, used to be in the middle of Daegu valley. At first, it was built of soil in 1590 and destroyed by Japanese invaders two years later. Historically, it was aimed to protect local people from Japanese invaders. But it was ironically destroyed by pro-Japanese district governor named 박중양, Pak Joong Yang who spoke Japanese very well. Before Japan captured Joseon in 1910, many Japanese immigrated to Daegu to make money. But they were not able to have any land and wanted to own land for business and living. Pak decided privately to dismantle the fortress to secure land for Japanese without any permission from the government. Pak was later branded as a national traitor and punished after liberation from Japan.
The fortress had the shape of a quadrangle and four big gates. A French traveler who had visited Beijing in China wrote his impression of Daegu fortress "as a miniature of the castle in Beijing, “ describing the panoramic view of picture perfect field of autumn and the nearby river from the fortress. Today the scale of the fortress can be traced through four roads that lied on the same place of the fortress after the destruction, which were named after their position as follows: Dong-sung-ro, Seosungro, Namsungro, and Buksungro. Dong, Seo, Nam, and Buk mean east, west, south, and north respectively. Sung means fortress and Ro road. The roads are together connected, forming a quadrangle with angles. The circuit of the fortress walls was about 2.65km(1.65mile) and the height 5.6m(18.35ft).
With the fortress demolished, the Japanese were permitted to start building shops and residences along both sides of the site of the former fortress. It is still easy to find many Japanese style buildings along Buksungro. Huge amounts of stone from the fortress demolished were recycled in many ways and some are still found in the forms of cornerstones of a nearby church, residences of American missionaries, and gardens. At the sites of four gates in four directions lie small stone markers.
The governor in charge of Gyeongsang district, the southeastern region of the peninsula, during Joseon dynasty resided in the Daegu fortress. 경상감영, Gyeongsang gamyeong, district governor's office and residence (color photos), was located away from the site of western gate named Dalseomun (the above photo) of the fortress. This area later became a park with the same name, well known among the locals.
A stone marker which some Chinese character is carved stands at the exit of the park. The usual transportation used by the upper class during Joseon Dynasty was the horse but some areas were allowed to ride horses only for special personnel. During the time, this park area belonged to the district governor, so the stone marker indicates that anyone below the rank of district governors must dismount from the horse before entering this area.
