 Cheongma
Fortress is the outer wall that was established in the late Baekje
Empire to protect Sabi, the capital of Baekje. Currently,
the west side of the castle is relatively well preserved. The
west side is about 4-5m in height and 3-4m in width. The east
side is similar, but is almost collapsed. The sectional view
of the collapsed parts shows that more unrefined rocks are used
toward the foundation. On the foundation, mud is laid on the
bottom of unrefined rocks. Similar to other castles, the inside
forms a natural fan shape.
To the north side, 4-5 levels of stone construction are preserved
in original forms. The walls are severely damaged, but we
can identify where the walls used to pass. Geographically,
it is presumed that the water opening was located on the west side.
The main gate would have been located by the water opening
to the west in order to contact to Sabi, the capital, but it is
unclear. Baekje's fortresses were mostly built for defense
purposes and are characterized by few numbers of gates. Cheongma
Fortress does not have a gate to the south and has a scar of a watch
cell on an open area.
It is anticipated that there used to be a building on top of
the valley inside the castle, which is currently a farmland. Inside
the castle is a well called the Gak Family Well which is very full
of water. Gyeongryongsa Temple Site and Uiyeolsa Temple Site
are still remaining and Neungsan-ri Baekje Tombs are located to
the south of the castle. This fortress used to protect the
royal castle of the Baekje Empire along with Seongheung Fortress
to the west, Jeung Fortress to the north, and Seokseong Fortress
to the south.
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