Historical Facts and Reality—An Unsure History and Tourist Attraction of a Former German Merchant House in Taiwan

The Julius Mannich Merchant House is a historical building in southern Taiwan, and is known to have been built in about 1877 and served as a place of business for German international commerce. Due to one of numerous heritage preservation processes in Taiwan, the building has already been listed as a local heritage site, and was first restored in 1983. It has since transformed for a new purpose, having been taken over by a German-themed restaurant, which introduces German history and culture through both the building’s architecture and its interior decoration. Moreover, it offers traditional German cuisine, including roast pork knuckles and beers to the delight of their many customers. The restaurant even celebrates Oktoberfest by promoting special dishes for a limited time. According to historical evidence, the building was erected by the British in 1877 and sold to a German businessman. As such, the restaurant takeover was challenged, as the building served not simply for purposes of leisure but as a monument to historical and cultural values. Even in keeping with the historical evidence, in reality, the restaurant enjoys a wide variety of visitors who have come to appreciate the European scene. The main focus of this article is to discuss the relationship between historical fact and reality, specifically where a tourist attraction may emerge from a historical building. When a heritage site is reimagined as a place to attract tourists, what core meaning is assigned this heritage by visitors

کلیدواژه ها:

historical evidence ، colonial architecture ، tourism heritage ، built heritage