Maam Rock, Yeoju

On the bank of the Namhangang River in central Yeoju, right below the Yeongwollu pavilion, a great granite outcrop meets the water. This is Maam, "Horse Rock". Legend says a yellow horse and a black horse emerged from it, giving Yeoju its old name, Hwangnyeo, and the founder of the Yeoheung Min clan is said to have been born here. Silleuksa Temple lies across the river.

The story: a rock that named a town

Legend has it that a yellow horse and a black horse sprang from the rock, so the district was called Hwangnyeo, "yellow and black horses". The character 驪, meaning a black horse, survives in the name Yeoju (驪州) today. Another tale holds that the founder of the Yeoheung Min clan, the best-known family of Yeoju, was born from a hollow in the rock, and the clan treats Maam as a place of special meaning.

Maam has long been admired. It is the second of the Eight Views of Yeoju and appears on every old map of the area, including the Haedong Jido and the district maps of 1872. Writers of the Goryeo and Joseon periods, among them Yi Gyu-bo, Yi Saek, Seo Geo-jeong and Jeong Yak-yong, are said to have come here to write poetry and enjoy the scenery. Maam was listed as Yeoju Local Heritage on 27 August 2012.

What to see

• The inscription: on the flat face where the outcrop begins, the characters 馬巖 (Maam) are carved in large script. Above them are the name of Yi In-eung, a former magistrate of Yeoju, and a date in the tenth month; to the right is the name of Sin Hyeon-tae, a former county head.
• Rock and geology: Maam is made of Daebo granite, formed in the Jurassic period. Down by the river you can see the jointed rock face and rounded boulders at the water's edge.
• Yeongwollu: the two-storey pavilion on the hill above the rock, three bays wide and two deep and probably dating from the late 18th century, was originally the main gate of the Yeoju government office. In 1925 county head Sin Hyeon-tae, the same man whose name is carved on the rock, had it moved here because he feared it would collapse. From the upper floor you can see Silleuksa upstream and, downstream, the villages of Heungcheon-myeon in the distance.
• Two Treasure pagodas: above the row of stelae at the entrance to Yeongwollu stand the three-storey stone pagodas of Chang-ri and Ha-ri, both moved here in 1958 and both designated Treasures.

Tripto tips

• Finding it: park at Yeongwol Neighbourhood Park (13 Junae-ro, Yeoju), walk past the Greek Korean War memorial and head down to the riverbank to reach the rock.
• Time needed: 40 minutes to an hour to climb Yeongwollu and walk down to Maam.
• Best time: a clear afternoon, when the river sparkles, or autumn, when the park's trees change colour. Do not go down to the water's edge when the river is high after heavy rain.
• Getting there: about 2.2 km from Yeoju Station on the Gyeonggang Line, an easy taxi ride.
• Combine with: Silleuksa across the river and King Sejong's tomb (Yeongneung) to the west make a full day in Yeoju.