Bird's-Eye View of Zeelandia, c. 1652

This view of the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company on Taiwan was drawn by German traveller Caspar Schmalkalden around 1652. To the left one can see the town of Zeelandia, which was inhabited primarily by Chinese merchants and their families. Fort Zeelandia lies in the center, behind a complex of warehouses and residences, which are themselves protected by thick walls. Toward the right stands a small redoubt, whose function was to prevent the hills above the fortress from falling into enemy hands, since they afforded a clear shot over the walls. In 1660, Zheng Chenggong began to besiege Fort Zeelandia, but he made no progress until, nine months later, a company defector told him about the redoubt. Once Chenggong's forces had captured it and pointed their cannon at the fortress, Dutch officials offered their surrender. Used by permission of the Gotha Research Library (Forschungsbibliotek Gotha) (finding aid: Chart B, fos. 282v-283).

Date

1652

Place

Taiwan

Archive

Wikimedia Commons

Type

bird's-eye view

Original size

1,000 × 618 pixels

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