종루는 한양도성 사대문을 여닫는 시간을 알리기 위해 만들어진 동종을 보관하던 2층 누각이다. 동종은 조선의 3대 태종 때 만들어졌으며 조선 중기 임진왜란 이후부터 이곳에 보관되었다.
여러 차례 화재를 겪으면서 원형에 손상을 입고, 음향도 다소 변했으나 주조 연대를 확실히 알 수 있어 보물 2호로 지정되었다. 1985년 국립박물관으로 옮겨진 후 새롭게 만들어진 동종은 매년 마지막 날 자정에 제야의 종소리를 들려준다.
보신각이라는 이름은 고종이 지었으며 현판도 고종이 직접 써서 하사했다. 하지만 이 현판은 6·25전쟁으로 소실되었고 현재의 것은 1953년 중건하면서 이승만 대통령이 쓴 것이다. 1979년 복원된 보신각은 서울 대표 목조 전통건물로 알려져 있다.

The second-floor pavilion called the bell tower is a storage of the bell made to announce the time of opening and closing of the four gates of Hanyangdoseong. The bell was made during the reign of King Taejong and was kept in the bell tower after the Imjin War.
The bell has been damaged to its original form as it went through several fires and its sound was slightly changed. However, the date of the creation was clearly known, so it was designated as Treasure No.2. The bell newly created after being moved to the National Museum in 1985 rings at the midnight on the last day of every year.
The name of Bosingak was given by King Gojong, and the signboard was also written by King Gojong himself. However, this signboard was destroyed during the Korean War. The current one was written by President Seungman Rhee when the pavilion was rebuilt in 1953. Bosingak, restored in 1979, is known as the representative building of Seoul.