05 · Baekje Antiquity Route

Donamseowon

Donamseowon in Nonsan, the birthplace of Yehak

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This is the Baekje Antiquity Route listing for Donamseowon. The full page lives under the Korean Confucian Academy Route.

Planning the visit

Donamseowon is stop 3 of 7 on the Baekje Antiquity Route.

The stamp is not at the site itself but in front of the tourist information center at Donamseowon, so check the opening hours of that building rather than the site.

The two closest stamp points are Naseong Fortress, 19 km away, and Busosanseong Fortress at 22 km. All three fit into one day.

This stamp counts for the Korean Confucian Academy Route too, but one stamping only fills one passport page. Stamp it twice if you want both.

OpenStreetMap has no record of this place, so the pin on the map is approximate. Navigate by the street address above.

Details

Address

26-14, Im3-gil, Yeonsan-myeon, Nonsan-si, Chungcheongnam-do

Stamp zone

In front of the tourist information center at Donamseowon

Phone

041-733-9978

Website

www.donamseowon.co.kr

Coordinates

36.22350, 127.14700 (approximate)

What the campaign says about it

Donamseowon was built to celebrate the virtues of Kim Jang-saeng (1548-1631), who was a master of the Yehak school of Confucianism. Yehak, which emphasizes strict order and the proper form, is a school of thought that explores the essence of courtesy as well as the right and wrong of what courtesy entails. Kim Jang-saeng, who inherited Yi I's ideas and studies, was a scholar who devoted his entire life to academic research and training. Donamseowon features a shrine and annexed buildings (mostly educational facilities), and it is also home to a large hall named Eungdodang Hall, which is rare among Confucian Academies. Eungdodang is an auditorium where Confucian scholars were taught. The Hall has a unique layout and it was built using some interesting architectural techniques. The flower wall at Sungnyesa Shrine, which enshrines the ancestral tablets of Confucian scholars, is another part of Donamseowon you might find really interesting and charming. Most of the buildings sit on a wide plot of flat land with Gojeongsan Mountain at their back. Together, the buildings exude a reserved and dignified look, but once a year in summer, when the Crepe-myrtle flowers bloom, Donamseowon transforms itself with some vivid colors. Eungdodang at Donamseowon in Nonsan was used as an auditorium for Confucian scholars and students. The original structure used to be at Donamseowon’s old site. However, it was moved to its current location in 1971. As the architects were moving Eungdodang Hall, they discovered roof tiles bearing inscriptions of just how old the building was. Rare for an auditorium built during the latter half of the Joseon Dynasty period, Eungdodang Hall is a sizable structure.

Quoted from the Visit Korean Heritage Campaign.

Getting there

Get off at the ITX Nonsan station → Take bus no. 305, 312, 315, or 320 (other bus routes also available) at Nonsan station bus stop → Get off at Im-ri/Donamseowon bus stop → Walk for 7 minutes

Photographs

Photographs supplied by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.