Buan Hyanggyo

About this place

A hyanggyo is a national educational institution of the Joseon period, established to enshrine the memorial tablets of distinguished Confucian scholars, hold ritual ceremonies, and provide education and moral instruction for local people. During the Joseon period, the government provided land and slaves, and instructors taught students; however, with the Gabo Reform of 1894 and the advent of modern education, the educational function was abolished. Buan Hyanggyo was founded in 1414 (the 14th year of King Taejong's reign) and was destroyed during the Imjin War and Jeongyu War, then rebuilt in 1600 (the 33rd year of King Seonjo's reign) with the Daeseongjon and Myeongnyundang reconstructed. The surviving buildings include the Daeseongjon (three bays wide, two bays deep, with a gabled roof), the Myeongnyundang (three bays wide, two bays deep, with a hip-and-gable roof), Manhwaru pavilion, Yangsajae, Dongjae, Seojae, a red-spiked gate (hongsalmun), and a horse-dismounting marker (hamabi).