National Taiwan University Hospital

Hospitals usually evoke a sad feeling, so generally people do not go to hospitals just for a sightseeing. Yet there are a few exceptions in Taiwan. One is Tainan’s Xinglin Hospital, an abandoned hospital popular among photographers for horror pictures. Another is Taipei's National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), which has a history of more than a century. When it was established by the Japanese, the hospital was the largest one in East Asia. The Greek columns and the red brick walls signify the architectural style favored in Europe at that time. Moreover, the architect of the building—Kondo Juro—was a graduate from the then Tokyo Imperial University (now The University of Tokyo). During the years when NTUH was built, architects from the university had designed many fascinating buildings in Taiwan, many of which have been preserved to today. These buildings include the National Taiwan Museum in 228 Peace Memorial Park, the Taipei Water Park at Gongguan, Taipei Zhongshan Hall at Ximending, and Taichung City Hall. Even the Presidential Palace is one of them. If you love architectures, or find no attractions to go before leaving Taipei, a visit to NTUH is one of your options.