The National Taiwan Museum, formerly known as "Bureau of Productive Industries Museum, Taiwan Sōtokufu Museum" during the Japanese colonial rule period, was established in celebration of the completion of the Main Line Railway in Taiwan. The current building, located in the 228 Peace Park, was completed in 1915 and designed by Japanese architect Nomura Ichiro in a Renaissance style. The magnificent structure and the exquisite architectural artifacts has made it an important treasure in modern Taiwan.
For a century, the Museum has been standing in front of the Taipei Railway Station, on the north-south and east-west pivotal crossroads of old Taipei. Its elegant architecture, abundant and diverse collections and unique geographical location have made the Museum an important landmark in Taipei City. Containing more than 100 years of objects on anthropology, geology, zoology and botany, it is the oldest natural history museum in the country. Through the Museum, you will see the tracks of development and the different faces of Taiwan.
Taiwan Land Bank Exhibition Hall of National Taiwan Museum
The Taiwan Land Bank Exhibition Hall was previously the site of the Taipei Branch of Japan Kangyo Bank, and designated by the Ministry of the Interior as a Level III National Heritage (now a "Municipal Heritage") in 1991. When it was transformed into a museum in 2010, not only did the building rekindle its past glory, but also a physical embodiment of Taiwan's financial, economic, architectural, craft, and museum histories.
The major permanent exhibition of the Land Bank Exhibition Hall is the Gallery of Evolution. The Gallery exhibits large natural historical artefacts, such as Tarbosaurus, Velociraptor, Tricerotops and Huanghetitan, and therefore the Museum is also nicknamed "the Dinosaur Museum" and loved by young visitors. The Gallery tells the story of the earth from Cambrian trilobites, Devonian fishes, Mesozoic reptiles to Cenozoic mammals, uncovering the secrets of biological evolution and offering visitors a perfect venue for learning prehistoric biota and the current Taiwan endemic fauna. After the dinosaur tour, visitors can have a taste of the peculiar "Dino Geological Cake" in the 2F Dino Café.
In addition to the Gallery, the Museum also displays the past of the Land Bank, including precious historic relics and manuals, land measuring instruments, land reform historical records, land bonds, public land sale manuals, and financial business machines.
Tel.: +886-2-2314-2699
Add.: No. 25, Xiangyang Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City
Nanmen Park of National Taiwan Museum
The park was once the Taipei Nanmen Factory and the only official camphor refinery in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period. In 1998, it was designated as a national heritage site. After 8 years of restoration, if officially opened in 2013, allowing visitors a chance to step back in time.
There are many onsite displays in the park allowing visitors to recollect of the past glories of the old camphor factory. Meanwhile, the content of the Nanmen exhibition on restoration introduces the architectural features of each building in the park, the archeological discoveries during the restoration, and the contribution of the crafts men.
Inside the Park, the beautiful garden displays various kinds of Taiwan endemic plants and temperate plant specimens. The Children's Corner in the Depository features the story of "the Kingdom of Camphor Trees," allowing parents and kids aged 3 to 10 to read and learn about urban ecology together. What's more, the second floor special exhibition in the Red House, "A-Nong's Fantastic Adventure" and the numerous non-scheduled featured mini exhibitions of plant and animal specimens are all very suitable for families with kids.
Tel.: +886-2-2397-3666
Add.: No. 1, Sec. 1, Nanchang Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City