Fort Santo Domingo Taiwan
Fort Santo Domingo, Taiwan: History
In 1636 Fort Santo Domingo came under the ire of the local citizens who were infuriated by the taxes imposed on them by the Spanish governor. The people besieged the fort and destroyed it. A year later, the Spanish rebuilt the fort, this time they used stone as a building material and took the height of the wall to over twenty feet.
In 1642 the Dutch ousted the Spaniards and took over the administration of Taiwan. Earlier, the Spaniards had themselves brought down the fort. The Dutch built a new fort there and named it Fort Antonio. In 1644, the Dutch changed Fort Antonio with another fort and named it Fort Anthonio. This is that fort that still survives today.
In 1868 Fort Santo Domingo fell into the hands of the British who used it as their trade consulate till in 1972 it passed it on to the Chinese.
Fort Santo Domingo is now a museum and has been listed by the Republic of China as a historical site. It lies next to Aletheia University, which is one of the oldest higher learning institutes in Taiwan.
Fort Santo Domingo is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am and to 5 pm. Entry is not free.
