Hwaseong Haenggung is the detached palace complex inside the fortress walls, the largest of the five haenggung (temporary royal residences used during progresses outside the main palaces) in the Joseon kingdom. The complex was built in stages and expanded significantly when King Jeongjo used Suwon as his base for regular visits to his father's tomb nearby. The 48 buildings on the site were largely destroyed during the Korean War and have been reconstructed on the original foundations.
The palace compound is more informal in atmosphere than the grand palaces of Seoul, reflecting its function as a travelling residence rather than a seat of permanent court life. The main ceremonial hall and the king's residential quarters can be entered, and the overall layout — lower-pitched roofs, more intimate scale — differs from the formal Joseon palaces. A traditional archery practice range is active on the grounds on weekends, and costumed guards perform a changing ceremony at the main gate at scheduled times. The palace is inside the western section of the Hwaseong Fortress walls, accessible from the Janganmun gate area.