Fort Provintia, Fort and park in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan
Fort Provintia is a historic fortress in West Central District with three square terraces crowned by Chinese pavilions featuring curved roofs. The walls are made of red brick and oyster-shell mortar that give the structures a warm ochre tone.
The Dutch East India Company erected the fortress in 1653 as an administrative center for trade in southern Taiwan. After the Dutch were expelled it was rebuilt by Chinese rulers and later used by Japanese authorities as a hospital.
The name comes from the Siraya village the Dutch recorded as Sakam, rendered in Chinese as Chhiah-kham; the Dutch called their 1653 fort Provintia, after the United Provinces. Locals knew it as Hoan-á Lâu, the "barbarians' tower". Nine turtle-borne steles moved here from the Great South Gate in 1960 stand on the terrace.
The site is open daily and admission requires a paid ticket with prices varying by age. The terraces are best visited in late afternoon when light highlights the red brick and heat subsides.
The walls were reinforced with a mixture of sugar water and glutinous rice juice as binding agent for the oyster-shell lime. This method helped protect the structures against moisture and erosion over centuries.
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