Hwacheon Hyanggyo | Attraction Guide | K-Travel Mate

Hwacheon Hyanggyo is a local national educational institution established during the Joseon Dynasty for Confucian education and ancestral rites of sages, located in Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon-teukbyeoljachi-do. The exact founding date is unknown, but it was burned down during the Korean War and restored in 1960 with Daeseongjeon and Naesammun. In 1963 a fence was built, and in 1975 Myeongnyundang, an educational hall, was newly constructed. Currently, Hwacheon Hyanggyo consists of buildings including Daeseongjeon, Myeongnyundang, Naesammun, Oesammun, and Jegigo. Daeseongjeon is the space for offering rites to Confucian sages, including Confucius. Myeongnyundang is a lecture hall for teaching students, symbolizing the educational function of the hyanggyo. Jegigo is used as a warehouse for storing ritual utensils. The hyanggyo is arranged in a front-school-back-shrine layout with Myeongnyundang in front and Daeseongjeon at the back. Seokjeon Festival is held in spring and autumn, involving local Confucian scholars and students in traditional ceremonies. Currently, the hyanggyo serves more as a space for traditional culture preservation and etiquette education than for formal education.