“Xinbeitou Platform” was established in 1916 and later renamed as “Xinbeitou Station” in order to boost the hot springs tourism in Xinbeitou region. The building is the only extant one with more than a hundred years of history in the TRA Tamsui Line and even in Taipei City.
Apart from being famous for its hot springs, Beitou is also home to Taiwan’s first “green” library. This library was the first building in Taiwan to receive the certification of “Green Building”. The structure makes generous use of French windows and natural light, and blends in with the surrounding environment.
This museum is housed in public hot spring bath built during the Japanese colonial era. The Tudor-style building has a brick and wood façade and black tile roof set picturesquely in the surrounding greenery. The building had fallen into a deep state of disrepair when local preservationists saved it from demolition.
Thermal Valley is one of the sources supplying the area’s hot springs. The sulfuric steam that blankets the valley year-round gives the valley a frightening quality, giving rise to nicknames like “Ghost Lake.” With its surreal sulfuric atmosphere, it’s no wonder Thermal Valley was considered one of the “12 great sights of Taiwan” during the Period of Japanese Occupation!