Port of Humanity: Tsuruga Museum
【Reopened November 3, 2020】
Tsuruga Port served as a key hub for transportation to Europe from the Meiji era through the early Showa period. It is the only port in Japan where Polish orphans landed in the 1920s and Jewish refugees carrying "life-saving visas" arrived in the 1940s.
The museum "Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum" centers on the historical facts of the Polish orphans and Jewish refugees who overcame numerous hardships to arrive in Tsuruga. It also presents testimonies and anecdotes from Tsuruga citizens of that time, along with heartwarming exchanges with those involved that continue to this day, conveying the preciousness of life and the value of peace.
The newly renovated museum, reopened on November 3, 2020, features the restored exteriors of four actual buildings from Tsuruga Port during the Taisho and early Showa periods (※). Inside, it houses a theater introducing the history of the Port of Humanity and exhibits utilizing animation.
※The four restored buildings... * The Customs Travel Goods Inspection Office: Where cargo unloaded from international routes was inspected. * Tsuruga Port Station: Where the Europe-Asia International Connection Train operated. * The Owada Shipping Agency: Handled port cargo handling and other operations. * The Russian Volunteer Fleet Office: Operated the regular shipping route to Vladivostok.
- Area
- Wakasa
- Category
- History & Culture Museums
Information
- Telephone Number
- Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum 0770-37-1035
- Address
- 福井県敦賀市金ヶ崎町23-1
- Opening Hours
- 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Last admission at 4:30 PM)
- Closed
- Wednesday (or the following day if it falls on a holiday), year-end and New Year holidays
- Prices
- General admission: ¥500, Children (elementary school age and under): ¥300 Groups (20 or more people): General admission ¥400, Children (elementary school age and under): ¥240
