Fort Provintia or Providentia, also known as Chihkan Tower (), was a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

outpost on

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territori ...

at a site now located in

West Central District West Central District () is a district located in the center of Tainan City, Taiwan. It is home to 76,983 people. History The district was founded on 1 January 2004, which merged with West District and Central District.. This district was t ...

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of his ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

. It was built in 1653 during the Dutch colonization of Taiwan. The Dutch, intending to strengthen their standing, sited the fort at ''Sakam'', about due east from modern-day Anping. During the

Siege of Fort Zeelandia The siege of Fort Zeelandia () of 1661–1662 ended the Dutch East India Company's rule over Taiwan and began the Kingdom of Tungning's rule over the island. Prelude From 1623 to 1624 the Dutch had been at war with Ming China over the Pescador ...

(1662), the fort was surrendered to

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

, but was later destroyed by a rebellion and earthquakes in the 18th century. It was rebuilt afterwards in the 19th century under Qing rule. The fort's name derives from the

Taiwanese aboriginal Taiwanese indigenous peoples (formerly Taiwanese aborigines), also known as Formosan people, Austronesian Taiwanese, Yuanzhumin or Gaoshan people, are the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, with the nationally recognized subgroups numbering about ...

village recorded by the Dutch as ''Sakam'', which has developed into the modern-day Tainan. After growth in size and trade, the Chinese called it ''Chhiah-kham'', and surrounded it with high brick walls. It eventually became the capital of the whole island under the name of Taiwan-fu. In addition to the site's architectural and artistic significance, its library of dictionaries and business transactions documents the

Siraya language Siraya is a Formosan language spoken until the end of the 19th century by the indigenous Siraya people of Taiwan, derived from Proto-Siraya. Some scholars believe Taivoan and Makatao are two dialects of Siraya, but now more evidence shows tha ...

spoken by the native inhabitants of the region during Dutch rule. The fort is up for redevelopment which will see it turned into a museum. The project is led by Taiwanese architecture studio HOU x LIN, the two partners of which both have a connection to The Netherlands. The project should be finished by 2024 in time for the celebration of the 400 year old relationship of the two countries.

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* * * ---- 1653 establishments in Dutch Formosa Provintia Dutch Formosa Former properties of the Dutch East India Company Buildings and structures associated with the Dutch East India Company National monuments of Taiwan {{Taiwan-struct-stub

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