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Namwon Hyanggyo - 남원향교 (南原鄕校) (built 1599 onward)

Hyanggyo are state schools founded during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) as centers of Confucian learning in preparation for the Civil Service examinations. Namwon Hyanggyo was constructed in 1410 in the tenth year of King Taejong. It was moved to the foot of Mount Deokeum eighteen years later. However, as the road to the hyanggyo was blocked due to frequent flooding, it was moved again in 1443 to its present location.

The hyanggyo was destroyed by fire near the end of the Imjin Waeran (the war between Japan and Korea) in 1597. The shrine building (daeseongjeon) was quickly reconstructed in 1599, and additional repairs were made in 1892.

Although most hyanggyo in the present era are no longer used as educational facilities, the veneration of Confucian sages continues. Each year, rites are offered in both the spring and the fall with solumn ceremony.

According to GPS readings taken by the author, the site is at 35 25.28094' N, 127 22.96708' E (WGS84 map datum). Address: 전북 남원시 향교동 1512.

(Designated City Tangible Cultural Property #8).