Beitou Museum

北投文物館

Unveil the Mysteries

Over 300 years ago, there's a place in today's Taipei where “trees don't grow, and the earth boils.” The inhabitants, the Ketagalan plains aborigines, called this place Patauw, meaning “home of the witches.” The pungent smell and thick fumes could mean just one thing—there was strange sorcery going on here. With time the name became Beitou in Chinese, and today, centuries later, this is still a beloved tourist spot.

Built in 1920, this facility first served as a luxury hot springs inn, called the Kayama Inn. It was a R&R club reserved for Japanese military officers during the occupation period. This private-owned Taiwan Folk Arts Museum opened in 1984, filled with many folk relics from Taiwan's past. The building is a wonderful sample of exquisite Japanese architectural detail.