■A museum that preserves the history of the “Ani Mine,” which made its name known throughout Japan.

Inside the museum, you’ll find mineral specimens—including chalcopyrite mined from the Ani Mine, as well as pyrite and galena—along with tools used in the mine and valuable historical documents such as the survey report on the Ani Mine by German engineer Meggel.

You can also view the costumes and masks of “Nezo Bangaku,” an intangible cultural asset representative of Ani.
Free guides are available for those who wish to explore the museum in detail. Additionally, we have introduced a picture-story show to provide visual explanations that make the exhibits easier to understand. Reservations are required to view this presentation, so please contact the Heritage Museum or the Foreigners’ House.

■“Ijin-kan”: Former Foreign Officials’ Quarters and Office for the Ani Mine

Of the two buildings originally constructed in Meiji 12 as official residences for German engineers—including Adolf Meggel—who arrived at the mine, the one that remains today is the Ijin-kan.
It is a Renaissance-style Gothic building, said to have been designed by Meggel himself. The structure is a single-story brick building with a gabled roof; the walls are made of bricks fired from local clay.The semicircular windows are sash-type, with shutters on the outside, and the building is surrounded by a wooden veranda, giving it an exotic atmosphere.
It is connected underground to the Denshokan (Tradition Museum) next door, and the walls of that passageway are designed to resemble a mine tunnel.