Chinese Name: 新北市立淡水古蹟博物館
Location: New Taipei City (Northern Taiwan)
Date of Establishment: 2005
Did You Know?
As the first museum in Taiwan to house a collection of both historic sites and buildings, the Tamsui Historical Museum in New Taipei City plays the role of both custodian and promoter of Tamsui's culture and art, something with far-reaching significance for the cultural development of New Taipei City. With the preservation and revitalization of cultural assets in the Tamsui area at its core, the museum emphasizes public participation and local experiential learning, integrating and innovating local resources through the museum’s fundamental functions of "research and collection," "education and promotion," "operation and management," "public relations and marketing," and "spatial planning" to create a close connection with the lives of the public.
Tamsui, a district located in New Taipei City, was under the control of the Spanish and the Dutch in the 17th century and was incorporated into Qing Dynasty China in 1684. In 1860, the Qing court opened Tamsui as an international trading port and it quickly became one of the main gateways through which Western culture made its way into Taiwan. Today, Tamsui's diverse cultural and historical background, temples, and Western-style architecture occupy a special place in Taiwan's cultural history.
To revitalize and reuse historic sites in the area, the New Taipei City Government established the Tamsui Historical Museum in 2005, which has since been hard at work promoting the investigation, gathering, research, collection, display, and promotion of historic monuments and cultural relics in the Tamsui area with a focus on community building and combining education, business, and tourism. The Tamsui Historical Museum is responsible for managing the tangible and intangible cultural assets of the Tamsui area, precious buildings and artifacts that record the links between Taiwan and the world since the Age of Sail and borne witness to Taiwan's rich political, economic, and cultural history.
At present, the museum manages eight public attractions, namely Fort Santo Domingo (紅毛城), the Tamsui Customs Officers’ Residence (小白宮), Hobe Fort (滬尾礮臺), Tamsui Customs Wharf Park (淡水海關碼園區), the Douglas Lapraik & Co. building (得忌利士洋行), the former Residence of Tamsui Township Head Tada Eikichi (多田榮吉故居), the former residence of Kinoshita Seigai (木下靜涯舊居), and the dormitory of Japanese police officers in Tamsui.
One of the most iconic historical sites in Tamsui is Fort Santo Domingo, with its distinctive bright red walls, which has stood for almost 400 years, making it one of the oldest surviving buildings in Taiwan. The fort was first built in 1628 by the Spanish who ruled northern Taiwan at the time. After losing a battle to the Dutch, the Spanish destroyed the fort, but in 1644, the Dutch rebuilt it near the original site and named it Fort Antonio, which was nicknamed "Fort Red Hair" as the Dutch were called "red-haired people" by local residents. In 1724, several decades after the Dutch had left Taiwan, Chinese Qing government officials in Taiwan began to renovate the fort, building four additional outer gates, and after 1867, the fort was rented by the British government as a consulate and a consular residence was built next to it.
Having passed through Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, and British hands, it stands a testament to the history of Taiwan more broadly. Because of the geographical environment, military strategic factors, and its multinational history, Fort Santo Domingo has a special status in Taiwan's history, and was designated as a national monument by the government on December 28, 1983, undergoing a full renovation of its exterior the following year.
By working with local businesses, linking the constituent parts of "museum family," and offering hands-on tours led by volunteers, the Tamsui Historical Museum has made it easier than ever for the public to explore the cultural heritage of Tamsui, becoming a positive force in the preservation of that heritage. The trend of globalization has led to many emerging discursive concepts around localization, including "community totalization," "cultural citizenship," "cultural and creative industries," "creative aesthetic economies," and "artistic and cultural interventions in the community." Through these, we are rediscovering local history, culture, and community characteristics, reinterpreting them and giving them new meaning for the contemporary age.