Bongsan Confucian Shrine (Bonghwa)

Bongsanseowon, located in Bonghwa-eup, Bonghwa-gun, was established in 1793 (the 17th year of King Jeongjo's reign) by local Confucian scholars to commemorate the scholarship and virtue of Joseon Dynasty civil official Kim Jong-geol (1628–1708). It enshrines his spirit tablet and is also called [Bongsan Confucian Shrine]. It served as a venue for enshrining the tablets of great Confucian scholars, holding ancestral rites, and contributing to local education. However, it was demolished in 1868 (the 5th year of King Gojong's reign) under Heungseon Daewongun's order to abolish Confucian academies, and was restored in 1925, continuing to the present day. The precinct includes the shrine building Sungdeoksa, Bongsandang Hall, Inner Gate, Jillyemun Gate, and auxiliary buildings. The gate quarters with a ritual official room and the main building in a straight line form a ㅁ-shaped layout. Sungdeoksa enshrines Kim Jong-geol's spirit tablet. Bongsandang Hall, the lecture hall, consists of a central wooden floor and side rooms: the floor is used for various events and Confucian gatherings, the east side room serves as a seat and special officer's room, and the west side room is used as an offering official's room. The Inner Gate is used only as an entrance for ritual officials during ancestral rites. Rites are held annually in the middle month of spring (March) and autumn (September). About 2 km away is Doamjeong Pavilion, built by Kim Jong-geol in 1650. It is a south-facing building with a pond featuring an artificial island, designated as Gyeongsangbuk-do Folklore Cultural Heritage. It is said that Kim Jong-geol recited poetry and discussed worldly affairs with Confucian scholars there. Address: 1840 Yebong-ro, Bonghwa-eup, Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do