Bongjeongsa Temple

Bongjeongsa is a Buddhist temple complex in a steep forested valley in the Sobaek Mountains about 40 km northwest of Andong. It is one of the oldest temple complexes in Korea, founded in 672 CE, and contains a structure — the Geungnakjeon main hall — that is widely considered the oldest surviving wooden building in the country.

The setting is remarkable: the temple is approached through a forested valley, the buildings climbing the hillside in terraces. Several other structures, including a magnificent nine-story stone pagoda and an ancient zelkova tree said to be over a thousand years old, are worth seeing. The temple is active and houses a community of monks. The mountains around it have good hiking trails. A bus from Andong runs to the vicinity; a taxi is easier.

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The main hall, Geungnakjeon, is considered the oldest wooden structure in Korea, dating from the Goryeo period (probably the 9th or 10th century CE). It survived six centuries of war, fire, and decay that destroyed most Korean wooden buildings of that age. The beams are still the original timber, bent with the weight of centuries but holding. Scholars come from across Asia to study the construction techniques used.

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