Geochang Hyanggyo

Geochang Hyanggyo was founded in 1415 to enshrine the memorial tablets of Confucian sages and provide local secondary education and moral guidance for the community.

Daeseongjeon, the main shrine hall, was later rebuilt by county magistrate Seo Ui in 1572, and Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall, was built by magistrate Jang Mun-han in 1574. The academy was destroyed during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s, and Daeseongjeon was rebuilt again in 1623. In 1714, magistrate Kim Si-bin built Chunpungnu in front of Daeseongjeon.

In 1748, the head scholar Kim Cheon-bun relocated the academy to its current site, and it was rebuilt again in 1809 by head scholar Yi Sang-jo. Repairs both large and small continued after that, including renovations to the east and west study halls in 1840, giving the academy its present form.

Having survived multiple fires and reconstructions across more than 600 years, simply walking through Daeseongjeon and Myeongnyundang here gives a tangible sense of the history of local education during the Joseon dynasty.