Dosanseowon Confucian Academy [UNESCO World Heritage] (도산서원 [유네스코 세계유산])

Dosanseowon Confucian Academy is one of Korea's most important Joseon-era seowon (Confucian academies), founded in 1574 in honor of Yi Hwang (Toegye), arguably Korea's most influential Neo-Confucian philosopher. The academy is registered as part of the UNESCO World Heritage 'Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies' inscription. The setting — beside a wide bend of the Nakdong River, surrounded by forested hills — gives the academy its famous serene atmosphere, and the architecture has been preserved in its essential Joseon form. For travelers seriously interested in Korean philosophical and intellectual heritage, Dosanseowon is the single most consequential seowon to visit.