Shrine Hall of the Guesthouse of the Anseong Local Government

A guesthouse was one of the key buildings of a local government office during the Goryeo (918-1392) and Joseon (1392-1910) periods. It consisted of a shrine in the center, where a wooden tablet symbolizing the king was held, and wings to each side, which were used as temporary lodging for important guests or visiting officials.

During the Joseon period, the local magistrate and officials would gather in the courtyard of the shrine hall to perform rituals of prostrating themselves toward the royal capital. Such rituals were held on the lunar new year and the king’s birthday, as well as on the full moon and new moon of each month. Royal edicts bestowed by the king were also announced at the guesthouse’s shrine hall. Thus, the guesthouse was the most important and central building of each local district.

The guesthouse of the Anseong Local Government is presumed to have been established prior to 1363, making it the oldest extant guesthouse building in Korea. It originally stood at the site of today’s Anseong Elementary School, located about 4.5 km to the west. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as national power weakened and administrative districts were reformed, guesthouses nationwide were gradually shut down, and some guesthouse buildings were repurposed into schools. Anseong’s guesthouse was no exception, becoming the predecessor to Anseong Elementary School in 1908. In 1931, the building was moved to the site of today’s Myeongnyun Girl’s Middle School, where it began to be used as a school building again in 1946. In 1995, it was moved to its current location. According to historical records compiled circa 1842, the Anseong guesthouse once consisted of a shrine hall, east and west wings, an inner gate, a main gate, a servants’ quarters, and a pavilion, but only the shrine hall and wings remain today.

The shrine hall of the Anseong guesthouse has maintained its original structure relatively well. It features architectural elements of the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods, of which there are few remaining examples. Such elements include the placement of complex joinery brackets only atop the pillars. The brackets feature ornately carved wings and arms, as well as rounded wing supports that are unique to this shrine hall. For these reasons, the shrine hall holds an important place in Korea’s architectural history.

Source: Korea Heritage Service signboard ↗ · collected 2026-10-08