The building was designed by Japanese architect Akio Nagano and served as the Taipei branch of the Kangyo Bank during the Japanese colonial period.
The large, iconic dinosaur skeletons are mounted in the exact space where bank tellers previously processed transactions.
The building was designated as a National Historic Site in 1998.
The thick-walled bank vault still contains original safety deposit boxes that visitors can view.
The museum uses the high-ceilinged banking hall to display full-scale replicas of ancient life forms, emphasizing the architectural volume.
The exhibition space merges financial history with natural history, showcasing old ledgers alongside ancient fossils.
The Land Bank Exhibition Hall of the National Taiwan Museum is housed within a historic bank building originally constructed in 1933. The structure is celebrated for its Doric columns and Neoclassical architecture, which contrast with the modern paleontological displays inside. The centerpiece of the collection is a massive reconstruction of a mammoth and various dinosaur skeletons positioned within the former bank's spacious main hall. Beyond paleontology, the museum preserves the history of the building itself, including its original bank vault and financial archives. The exhibit 'Life Through the Ages' uses fossils to trace the evolution of life on Earth. Visitors can walk through the former subterranean vault, which now houses exhibits on currency and banking history. The museum serves as an extension of the main National Taiwan Museum, located just across the street.
The central banking hall, capturing the dinosaur skeletons with the bank's grand columns and architecture in the background.
Visit the vault area to see how the bank's original structure has been repurposed for historical exhibits.
Check the National Taiwan Museum website before visiting to see if the main museum and the Land Bank exhibit have joint event programming.
Allow time to appreciate the exterior architecture, as the building's facade is one of the best-preserved examples of 1930s financial architecture in Taipei.
Do not mistake this for the main National Taiwan Museum building; they are separate buildings across the street from each other.
Closed on Mondays.
