【National Taiwan Museum Main Building + Natural History Branch】
The National Taiwan Museum was established in 1908 and was originally known as the Taiwan Governor-General's Museum. It is the oldest existing museum in Taiwan, with a primary focus on natural history collections. The Paleontology Museum was formerly the Taipei Branch of the Japanese Industrial Bank. In 1991, it was designated as a third-class historic site by the Ministry of the Interior, and in 1997, it was changed to a designated historic site of Taipei City. Since 2005, the National Taiwan Museum has been responsible for the restoration and subsequent operation and management of the historic site, positioning it as a museum of natural history and financial history.
【National Taiwan Museum Nanmen Branch】
The Taiwan Governor-General's Office established a monopoly on opium in 1897. In 1899, they built the Taipei South Gate Factory for the production and testing of camphor and opium, the two major monopolized products. The factory was an important production base. In 1901, it was renamed the South Gate Factory, and in 1931, it became the Taipei South Gate Factory. It was the only publicly-owned camphor processing plant in Taiwan during the Japanese era. Today, only the Camphor Warehouse (referred to as the Red House), the Goods Warehouse (referred to as the Small White House), a 400-koku water storage tank, and a section of the factory's red brick wall remain. In 1998, the South Gate Factory was designated as a national historic site by the Ministry of the Interior. In 2006, it was transferred to the National Taiwan Museum by the Government Property Administration and incorporated into the Capital Museum Cluster System Project. The historic site was restored and repurposed as an exhibition hall.
【National Railway Department Park】
The Taiwan Governor-General's Office Transportation Bureau Railway Department, designated as a national historic site, was the location of the Taipei Machinery Bureau during the Qing Dynasty. It was also Taiwan's first modern railway repair industrial park and later became the administrative center for railway transportation throughout Taiwan. In 1989, the completion of Taipei Main Station resulted in the relocation of the Taiwan Railway Administration, leaving the space vacant. In 2006, the National Taiwan Museum collaborated with the Taiwan Railway Administration to transform the Railway Department into a museum park.
The Railway Department's historic site exhibition features four themed exhibition areas, six digital guides, and twenty on-site displays of disassembled components, showcasing the historical splendor and architectural features of the Railway Department. From the perspective of restoration records, it leads visitors back to the restoration site, allowing them to glimpse the craftsmen, techniques, and considerations involved in the restoration process. There are many fascinating aspects to discover about the historic buildings of the Railway Department, and we await your visit to explore them in detail.
