Fort Provintia or Providentia, also known as Chihkan Tower (Chinese: 赤嵌樓; pinyin: Chìkǎnlóu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhiah-khám-lâu), was a Dutch outpost on Formosa at a site now located in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan. It was built in 1653 during the Dutch colonization of Taiwan. The Dutch, intending to strengthen their standing, sited the fort at Sakam, about 2 miles (3.2 km) due east from modern-day Anping. During the Siege of Fort Zeelandia (1662), the fort was surrendered to Koxinga, but was later destroyed by an earthquake in the 19th century. It was rebuilt as Chihkan Tower afterwards.
The fort’s name derives from the Taiwanese aboriginal village recorded by the Dutch as Sakam, which has developed into the modern-day Tainan. After growth in size and trade, the Chinese called it Chhiah-kham, and surrounded it with high brick walls. It eventually became the capital of the whole island under the name of Taiwan-fu.
In addition to the site’s architectural and artistic significance, its library of dictionaries and business transactions documents the Siraya language spoken by the native inhabitants of the region during Dutch rule.
