Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia)

Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia)

Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia)
4
Historic Sites • Historic Walking Areas • Architectural Buildings
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8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
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The area
Neighbourhood: West Central District/ North District
The West Central District is the most populous and the busiest area. A lot of shops and hotels crowd the district, and the long-standing history results in a variety of street food. In addition to that, this district also has the highest number of temples. This is how it got the name “Tainan’s Pantheon.” Historic buildings are literally ubiquitous. For example, Hayashi Department Store, National Museum of Taiwan Literature, Confucius Temple, Chihkan Tower (formerly Fort Provintia), Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple, Tainan Grand Mazu (name of a goddess) Temple, etc. Recently, the tourism in Tainan has laid emphasis on alleys and lanes. Examples include Fujhong Street specialising in creative handicrafts, as-you-stroll desserts on Jhengsing Street, Shennong Street lined with hundred-year-old ancient houses, Sinyi Street on which the old city gate stands, Sinmei Street where old and new cultures fuse together, and Guohua Street and Baoan Raod famous for all the savoury food. All the traditional and delicious food and flavours are about to burst in your mouth. The North District, on the other hand, is a quiet secret hideaway. Lane 321 on Gongyuan Road used to be a Japanese soldiers’ dormitory. Now a few artists have set up their studios here. There are diversified art styles in each old Japanese-style house. The Garden Night Market on Haian Road is one of the famous night markets in both Tainan and Taiwan, and was the top 12 Facebook check-in location worldwide in 2013.
See what other travellers are saying
  • OrderintheHouse
    2,800 contributions
    Our all too short visit to Chihkan Tower was interesting but not spectacular.
    In January 2020 my wife and I included a 6 night Wendy Wu private tour of Taiwan as part of our 18 day Asian trip we arranged to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Our tour took in Taipei, Taroko Gorge, Sun Moon Lake, Tainan and Kaohsiung. While in Tainan we visited a number of historical attractions including the Grand Matsu Temple, the Hayashi Department Store, Anping Old Fort, the Tait and Tait Merchant House, the Anping Tree House and the Chihkan Tower. Chihkan Tower is the current name for the former Fort Provintia, which was a Dutch outpost built in 1653 during the Dutch colonization of Taiwan. Chihkan Tower has proved to be versatile over more than three centuries: it was a Western castle when Taiwan was under Dutch rule, a Chinese-style pagoda in the Qing Dynasty, an army hospital for the Japanese colonists, and is currently a museum testifying to the past glory. In 1886 the original Dutch structure was remodelled with the establishment of the current three main buildings, the Haishen Temple, the Wenchang Pavilion and Penghu Academy. We only had a fleeting twenty minute look at the complex which was probably too short to fully appreciate what it had to offer. We did have a look inside the Wenchang Pavilion, but only saw the Haishen Temple from the outside and did not see the Penghu Academy. We did admire the nicely landscaped gardens throughout the complex. Inside the Wenchang Pavilion is a restored scale model of the original Fort Provintia in a glass viewing case which gives visitors a good insight into what the original fort looked like. There was also a piece of the original roof adornment on display. What we did find interesting was the section of the remains of the brick wall from the original fort. The walls were made of red bricks as the main material and a mixture of water, sugar, glutinous rice and oyster shells as the adhesive, giving these bricks a durability, having lasted over 300 years. The Chihkan Tower complex is obviously an important historical site in Tainan. However given the shortness of our visit we felt we did not get as much out of this place as we did at the Anping Old Fort the next day. In summary we found our visit to Chihkan Tower to be interesting but not spectacular.
    Visited January 2020
    Written 26 June 2020
  • Jesse V
    Fallbrook, California111 contributions
    Well kept temple grounds in the middle of a busy street (under maintenance)
    The tower is under renovation so about half the area is inaccessible. The part that is there is nice, a pretty, serene grounds (not quiet as it’s facing a busy street) and a nice temple area with artifacts and exhibits which was well kept (be careful the stairs inside are uneven and small). It’s a nice place but they still charge full price for half the area so just keep that in mind.
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 18 May 2023
  • Regie Belga
    Dasmarinas City, Philippines11 contributions
    Average
    We went during the Chinese New Year. The architecture is indeed nice. We came late in the afternoon so not much people anymore. 50.00NT$ per person. Nothing much to see other than some historical pieces. Mosquitos abound!
    Visited January 2020
    Written 25 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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Jesse V
Fallbrook, CA111 contributions
May 2023 • Family
The tower is under renovation so about half the area is inaccessible. The part that is there is nice, a pretty, serene grounds (not quiet as it’s facing a busy street) and a nice temple area with artifacts and exhibits which was well kept (be careful the stairs inside are uneven and small). It’s a nice place but they still charge full price for half the area so just keep that in mind.
Written 18 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

grace
Singapore, Singapore6 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
If u got time, you probably can go in for a quick visit. Now part of the tower is under renovation , so you can just go visit the main tower
Written 11 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sack o travels
Cupertino, CA54 contributions
Sep 2022
First build in 1653 by the Dutch, this historical building contains lots of historical facts and has a lovely courtyard, where you can feed fish, eat at the small cafe, or view the beautiful trees. BUT, for the main building the top floor was very unsafe, the planks were constantly making noises when you step on them, which felt very very unsafe.
Written 10 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,170 contributions
Apr 2022
Chihkan Tower (also known as Fort Providentia) was built by the Dutch in 1624. The Dutch were expelled by the Chinese admiral Koxinga (known also as Zheng Cheng-gong). Koxinga took over the fort in 1661. Chihkan Tower is on the outskirts of Tainan, it is easy to find.
Written 25 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

OrderintheHouse
Brisbane2,800 contributions
Jan 2020
In January 2020 my wife and I included a 6 night Wendy Wu private tour of Taiwan as part of our 18 day Asian trip we arranged to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Our tour took in Taipei, Taroko Gorge, Sun Moon Lake, Tainan and Kaohsiung. While in Tainan we visited a number of historical attractions including the Grand Matsu Temple, the Hayashi Department Store, Anping Old Fort, the Tait and Tait Merchant House, the Anping Tree House and the Chihkan Tower.

Chihkan Tower is the current name for the former Fort Provintia, which was a Dutch outpost built in 1653 during the Dutch colonization of Taiwan. Chihkan Tower has proved to be versatile over more than three centuries: it was a Western castle when Taiwan was under Dutch rule, a Chinese-style pagoda in the Qing Dynasty, an army hospital for the Japanese colonists, and is currently a museum testifying to the past glory. In 1886 the original Dutch structure was remodelled with the establishment of the current three main buildings, the Haishen Temple, the Wenchang Pavilion and Penghu Academy.

We only had a fleeting twenty minute look at the complex which was probably too short to fully appreciate what it had to offer. We did have a look inside the Wenchang Pavilion, but only saw the Haishen Temple from the outside and did not see the Penghu Academy. We did admire the nicely landscaped gardens throughout the complex.

Inside the Wenchang Pavilion is a restored scale model of the original Fort Provintia in a glass viewing case which gives visitors a good insight into what the original fort looked like. There was also a piece of the original roof adornment on display. What we did find interesting was the section of the remains of the brick wall from the original fort. The walls were made of red bricks as the main material and a mixture of water, sugar, glutinous rice and oyster shells as the adhesive, giving these bricks a durability, having lasted over 300 years.

The Chihkan Tower complex is obviously an important historical site in Tainan. However given the shortness of our visit we felt we did not get as much out of this place as we did at the Anping Old Fort the next day. In summary we found our visit to Chihkan Tower to be interesting but not spectacular.
Written 27 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Leslierx
Lebanon, OH232 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
Old Dutch (1653)building, renovated to Taiwan-style architecture after an earthquake destroyed it. Now renovations nearby look to build a newer modern area. Ponds host Koi and turtles. Park inside is serene.
Written 10 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Regie Belga
Dasmarinas City, Philippines11 contributions
Jan 2020
We went during the Chinese New Year. The architecture is indeed nice. We came late in the afternoon so not much people anymore. 50.00NT$ per person. Nothing much to see other than some historical pieces.

Mosquitos abound!
Written 26 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JohannesNL023
Amsterdam, The Netherlands217 contributions
Dec 2019
In the middle of Tainan, this tower is more an educational than a religious place. Beautiful decorations, historical ties to the Dutch (an old door and staircase are the only remnants). At night it is a very quiet place to wander around for 30-45 minutes or so.
Written 24 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ST T
26 contributions
Dec 2019 • Friends
Historical buildings. Mainly written in chinese. For those that can’t read probably not worth the visit. Will be better if they have guided tour. There are 2 nice little ponds around. Souvenir shop sell the beer that has koxinga. Taste pretty normal. Nothing much else in the area.
Written 2 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KrisD_pl
Warsaw, Poland7,784 contributions
Dec 2018
The tower was built in 19th century on the place of former Dutch fort Provintia, which was destroyed by the earthquake. Nice structure but we did not enter as we were too late.
Written 3 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia) (West Central District) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia)

Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia) is open:
  • Sun - Sat 8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
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