Fort San Domingo (New Taipei City Tamsui Historical Museum) Introduction
When it comes to Tamsui's historical sites, do you only think of Fort San Domingo? In fact, about a 15-minute walk from Fort San Domingo, there is an ancient artillery fort. The Huwei Artillery Fort, built in 1886 under the supervision of Liu Mingchuan, the first governor of Taiwan, was once a military stronghold guarding Tamsui Harbor. Although the large cannons are no longer visible, the outer walls and remnants of the gun platforms still reveal its significant historical position from a century ago. In 1985, it was officially designated as a national second-class historic site. Its elevated geographical location and sturdy materials create a magnificent fort that can be regarded as the best military fortress for war and garrisoning in the 19th century, as well as an important maritime defense facility during the Qing Dynasty's modernization of Taiwan. After the Sino-French War, the Qing court decided to strengthen maritime defense in Taiwan by constructing ten artillery forts at five coastal locations: Penghu, Keelung, Tamsui, Anping in Tainan, and Qihou in Kaohsiung. In 1886, Liu Mingchuan hired German engineer Paul Barns to oversee the construction of these ten forts based on Western designs, and Huwei Artillery Fort was one of them. Located on the first peak of Wuhugang in Tamsui, Huwei Artillery Fort offers an elevated view that once directly overlooked the Tamsui River estuary and Guandu Bridge, though it is now obscured by trees. The fort faces south, with the New Taipei City Martyrs' Shrine to its west, the Taiwan Golf Club to its east, and the Cloud Gate Theater to its north.
