In every period of world history, leaders and pharaohs, sultans and maharajahs, tsars, kings and emperors wanted to preserve their legacy and to be memorialized. They built palaces and temples, gave orders to great masters to make statues and portraits of them, but most of all they desired permanent power. They also wanted to rule even after their death, so they constructed majestic architectural monuments (tombs and mausoleums) for themselves.

Today those cultural and historical masterpieces, beginning with the pyramids of Egypt to the tomb with the Terracotta Army of China, can be found everywhere in the world. South Korea also had periods when it was ruled by dynasties of emperors. The tombs of the rulers were well-preserved and can still be visited today.

In the 14th century, the territory of the modern city of Goyang belonged to the last representative of the Goryeo dynasty – Emperor Gongyang. Today his tomb is one of the main tourist attractions of this city. The sad story of life and rule of that Korean Emperor ended in 1392 when after a three-year reign he was overthrown by the founder of the next dynasty of Joseon – Emperor Taejo. The end of the Goryeo dynasty was tragic. Its last emperor was hung on the gallows together with two of his sons. He was buried in a royal tomb with his beloved wife.

From the combination of different architectural styles which were typical of the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, we know that the tomb of the Great Emperor was built during the collapse of one dynasty and the beginning of another. A double tomb with a gravestone and a small stone table in front of it are the characteristic elements of the burial traditions of the Joseon dynasty. A symbolic statue of a tiger that is settled in the middle can be attributed to the Goryeo dynasty art of sculpturing.

The statues of soldiers placed on both sides of the tomb to protect the peace of the Great Emperor are of the same style.