Taipei Prison Ruins Introduction
The designated historical site "Taipei Prison Wall Ruins" is located on the side wall of the Telecommunications Bureau on Jinshan South Road in the Da'an District. It was initially constructed around the 1910s during the Japanese colonial period when anti-Japanese guerrillas were constantly rising across Taiwan. The Japanese rulers built large prisons in Taipei and Tainan, with Taipei Prison serving as a concrete witness to Taiwan's modern prison administration history. Today, only a few high walls remain on the north and south sides, but they still evoke a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere. The layout of Taipei Prison is radial, reflecting the trend of prisons in various countries during the 19th century. It is surrounded by high walls, and most of the stone materials used were sourced from the dismantled Taipei City Wall in the 1910s, primarily from andesite and Coral stone. These materials were originally transported from quarries near Dazhi and Neihu during the late Qing Dynasty's Guangxu period. They were first brought to the banks of the Keelung River and then transported by boat through the Tamsui River to the river mouth pier. Even today, it holds significant historical value as a heritage site.
