Donamseowon

Donamseowon in Nonsan, the birthplace of Yehak

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Planning the visit

Donamseowon is stop 2 of 9 on the Korean Confucian Academy 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.

Admission is charged: Adults KRW 2,000 / Teenagers KRW 1,500 / Children KRW 1,000.

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 Baekje Antiquity 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
Admission: Adults KRW 2,000 / Teenagers KRW 1,500 / Children KRW 1,000
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, 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, built on an expansive patch of flat land, served as a hub of discussion for the Yehak school of Confucianism. It has a modest and reserved style, yet Eungdodang Hall (treasure) boasts an impressive size that was rare for structures built for Seowon academies at the time. Eungdodang Hall at Nonsan Donamseowon Donamseowon was built in 1634 CE (12th year of King Injo) as a private academy to both host ancestral rites dedicated to past scholars and to teach future generations. With Kim Jang-saeng (1548~1631 CE) at the center of its shrine, Donamseowon also enshrines the ancestral tablets of Kim Jip, Song Jun-gil, and Song Si-yeol. The compound is unusually large for a Confucian Academy built after the mid-Joseon Dynasty period. Despite its size, Donamseowon follows the conventional style and layout closely, making it a great resource when researching the architecture for lecture halls built during the Joseon Dynasty period.

Quoted from the Visit Korean Heritage Campaign.

Getting there

Get off at the KTX Nonsan station → Take bus no. 304-1, 312, or 318 at the 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.