FORT SAN DOMINGO

The Spaniards occupied the city in 1624. To consolidate their power and control the local population, they built Fort San Domingo in 1629. This red brick fortification fell to the Dutch in 1642, when they expelled the Iberians from the island. The stronghold was then known to the local people as the "fort of the red-haired demons" - red-haired demons was the nickname given by the Chinese to the Dutch and Europeans in general. Later, it was the English who took over the site and made it their headquarters in 1867, after the Second Opium War. A second building was constructed in 1871 as an extension of the fort to house the consul and his family. In Victorian style, it completes the architecture of the place with its red verandah and roof. The British consulate did not leave the site until a century later, when Great Britain recognized the People's Republic of China on the diplomatic stage. It became the property of the Taiwanese state in 1980. Completely renovated and transformed into a small museum, it now houses permanent and temporary exhibitions on the history of Taiwan and Tamsui. The nine flags flying over the fort represent the different owners through the ages, from Spain to the Republic of China. A beautiful tribute to the island's multiple and complex history. From the fort, the view of the Tamsui River and Guanyinshan is well worth the detour.