For those who love early 20th century history and architecture, you must visit this place right in the center of Taipei. It’s called National Taiwan Museum Railway Department Park (國立台灣博物館-鐵道部園區) which was built by the Japanese colonial government in 1920, after ROC moving to Taiwan, it had been the HQ of national railway company for a while. And they abandoned the whole building in the 90s, so that this site was rather eerie for some time; until 2005 did the government decide to properly study about restoration. In July 2020, the museum was officially open to public.
Speaking of restoration, it’s a huge deal, there’s not only things left by the Japanese but also various underground relic from late Qing dynasty. Material wise, this was rather complicated as well, they not only have to deal with brick yet wood, olden day plaster, roof tile… You can see every record of the process in this museum, which is simply mesmerizing! Btw, this museum is devoted to the history of Taiwanese railroad development and they did a brilliant job. However, personally I’m not a fan of our national railway which is often late and not very efficient… Anyway, I recommend its architecture more than the exhibition itself, please add up to your must visit list in Taiwan!
The entrance
Relic of Qing dynasty
Mixed use of materials
Interior view
The official website: https://www.ntm.gov.tw/en/exhibitionlist_195.html