The Presidential Office Building, located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, serves as the President's office and stands as a landmark that integrates history, culture, and architectural artistry. Since its completion in 1919, it has witnessed numerous social changes in Taiwan and remains one of the nation's most significant historical heritage sites.
總統府位於臺北市中正區，是總統的辦公地點，也是一座結合歷史、文化與建築藝術的地標建築。自1919年落成以來，總統府見證了臺灣多次社會變遷，為臺灣重要的歷史遺產之一。
(image from wikipedia)
The History of the Presidential Office Building / 總統府的歷史
In 1895, following the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the First Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan was ceded to Japan. During the early period of Japanese rule, the Qing Dynasty's former "Provincial Administration Office" was repurposed as a temporary Governor-General's Office. Few years later, the Japanese government decided to construct a permanent Governor-General's Office, selecting a site in the Wenwu Temple District within Taipei City. The location originally housed the ancestral shrines of the Chen and Lin families. After negotiations and land acquisition, the Chen family shrine was relocated to Dadaocheng (now Chen Dexing Ancestral Hall), and the Lin family shrine was moved to the area behind Taipei Railway Station.
1895年，甲午戰爭簽訂《馬關條約》後，臺灣割讓予日本。日治時期初期，清廷遺留的「布政使司衙門」被改為臨時總督府。隨後，日本政府決定興建永久性的總督府廳舍，選址於臺北城內的文武廟町。當地原是陳氏與林氏宗祠，經協議與徵收，陳氏宗祠遷至大稻埕 (今陳德星堂) ，林氏宗祠移至臺北火車站後站附近。
In 1906, the Taiwan Governor-General's Office held Japan's first large-scale public architectural competition, which was open exclusively to architects from Japan. However, the first-prize design was ultimately rejected due to its resemblance to the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, and insufficient execution techniques. Instead, the second-prize design by Nagano Uheiji, a disciple of Tatsuno Kingo, was adopted. The design bore a striking resemblance to the Tokyo Station, which was under construction at the time. Nevertheless, due to numerous execution issues in the original design, the project was entrusted to Moriyama Matsunosuke, the then-head of the Taiwan Governor-General's Office Construction Division and one of the unsuccessful competitors in the design competition.
1906年，臺灣總督府舉辦日本史上首次大型公開競圖，並僅限日本本土建築家參加。然而，因一等獎設計圖與荷蘭海牙國際法庭相似、且設計手法不足，最後採用了二等獎長野宇平治 (師從辰野金吾) 的設計，而其樣式與當年正在建造中的東京車站相當接近。但又因設計上有許多執行問題，最終由當時擔任臺灣總督府營繕科科長的森山松之助 (也是競圖中未獲選的參賽者之一) 負責建造執行。
(image from wikipedia)
Moriyama Matsunosuke made numerous adjustments and improvements to Nagano Uheiji's original design. These included raising the height of the central tower to its current scale and reconfiguring the interior structure to enhance the building's stability, ensuring it could withstand Taiwan's frequent earthquakes. After these modifications, the final appearance of the building bore a resemblance to the Red Town Hall in Berlin, Germany, transforming it into a landmark structure that seamlessly combined aesthetics with functionality.
森山松之助在長野宇平治的設計基礎上進行了多次調整與改良，包括將中央塔樓高度提升至現今的規模，並重新規劃內部結構，以提高建築在臺灣頻繁地震條件下的穩定性。經過這些修改，最終建築外觀與德國柏林的紅色市政廳有著相似之處，成為一座兼具美學與實用性的地標建築。
The construction of the Governor-General's Office officially began on June 1, 1912. By June 1915, the main structure was largely completed, marked by a topping-out ceremony. After several more years of construction, the building was completed in March 1919, with a total construction cost of 2.81 million yen. At the time, two bronze statues were installed in the building’s main hall: one of Goto Shinpei, the Chief of Civil Affairs, in the front hall, and another of Governor-General Kodama Gentaro in the rear hall.
總督府於1912年6月1日正式開工，1915年6月主體大致完成並舉行上棟典禮，經過幾年施工後，終於在1919年3月告竣，總工程費達281萬日圓。當時總督府的敞廳內設置有兩尊銅像，前敞廳為總督府民政長官後藤新平長官，後敞廳為總督兒玉源太郎總督。
This building was the tallest landmark in Taiwan at the time and a significant symbol of Japanese rule over the island. As such, it became one of the primary targets of American air raids on Taiwan during World War II. Despite the Japanese authorities' efforts to camouflage and protect the Governor-General's Office, it was hit during the Taipei Air Raid in late 1945. The bombing severely damaged the front sections of the structure, including the east carriage hall, the central tower above the main entrance, the left elevator shaft, staircases, and offices on the southeast side. Additional damage occurred on the first floor near the Taiwan Bank and offices on the northern side. Furthermore, the building was engulfed in a massive fire that lasted for three days, leaving approximately 80% of the structure damaged.
The original semicircular gable and dome of the carriage hall were replaced with the flat roof seen today. Due to the high cost of repairing the slate roof tiles, they were initially substituted with corrugated iron sheets, which eventually rusted and darkened, symbolizing the hardships of the time. Later, the roof was reconstructed with copper, giving the building its current appearance.
這座建築物曾是當時全臺灣最高的地標，也是日本統治臺灣的重要象徵。因此，在第二次世界大戰期間，它成為美軍轟炸臺灣的主要目標之一。儘管日方對總督府進行了多方偽裝與防護，1945年戰爭末期的臺北大空襲中，這棟建築仍遭美軍擊中，正面部分結構被炸毀。損壞範圍包括東側車廳、正面大門的中央衛塔、左側升降機間、樓梯間，以及東南側的辦公室，靠近臺灣銀行的一樓及北側辦公室也受損。此外，建築還遭到長達三天的大火肆虐，約八成區域受損。原先車廳的半圓弧山牆穹頂因此被改建為如今所見的平頂。由於石板瓦屋頂的修復成本過高，後改以鐵皮修繕，但隨著時間生鏽發黑，也反映出當時國家艱困的處境，最終才改為銅製屋頂，成為今日的面貌。
(image from wikipedia)
After the war, the original Governor-General's Office building was still under repair, so the Taiwan Provincial Administrative Office was temporarily housed in the former Taipei City Hall. In 1946, to celebrate President Chiang Kai-shek's 60th birthday, the building underwent extensive renovations and was renamed "Jieshou Hall." In 1950, it officially became the Presidential Office Building of the Republic of China. In 2006, to highlight its constitutional significance and emphasize its practical function, the building's name was formally changed to the "Presidential Office Building," a name that remains in use today.
戰後，由於原總督府廳舍尚在修復中，臺灣省行政長官公署暫設於原臺北市役所。1946年，為慶祝蔣中正總統60壽辰，對總督府進行大規模整修，並將其更名為「介壽館」。1950年，這棟建築正式成為中華民國總統府。直到2006年，為彰顯憲政意義並強調建築的實際功能，正式將名稱改為「總統府」，沿用至今。
Highlights of the Presidential Office Building / 總統府建築亮點
Central Tower 中央塔樓
The main structure of the Presidential Office Building comprises five floors, with a prominent central tower rising to approximately 60 meters, equivalent to 11 stories. The tower's structure, shaped like the character “亞,” has strong earthquake resistance. Wavy decorative brackets appear below the tower's peak, and at the very center of the tower, a tablet is inscribed with the characters “上棟” (“beam raising”). The reverse side of the tablet is engraved with the date June 25, the fourth year of the Taisho Era (1915), the date the main beam was fitted into place, marking the birth of the Presidential Office Building you see today.
總統府的主體建物共有5層樓，凸出、聳立的中央塔樓約有60公尺，相當於11層樓，並以「亞」字型來強化耐震程度，塔頂下方有漩渦狀托座裝飾，在塔內頂端的正中間，有一塊「棟札」，正面寫著「上棟」(意即「上梁」)；另一面則寫著「大正四年六月二十五日」，這是中央塔樓安裝主要梁柱的日期，也是現今總統府誕生的日子。
Octagonal Chambers 八角亭
In his design for the four corners of the Presidential Office Building, Nagano Uheiji included octagonal chambers protruding out into the central courtyard, enhancing the structure's earthquake resistance and stability. In addition, the governor-general at that time, Akashi Motojiro, wanted to prevent government officials from smoking in their offices. So during the Office of the Governor-General period these chambers were planned as smoking rooms, which shows that even back then the concept of secondhand smoke was recognized. Each floor of the chambers also featured small red windows that fed into a refuse chute to receive rubbish that would be collected on the ground floor. As times changed, that refuse disposal system fell into disuse.
建築師長野宇平治在設計總統府建築的四個角落時，規劃向中庭突出的盒狀構造，在結構上具有耐震、穩固建築的作用，更因時任的總督明石元二郎為防止官員在辦公室抽菸，總督府時期規劃為「喫菸室」(吸菸室)，顯見當時已有「二手菸」的概念。八角亭同時設有垃圾蒐集孔道，各樓層皆設置紅色小窗，將垃圾投入便能集中到1樓處理，但隨著時代變遷，現已不再使用。
North Courtyard 北苑
Renovated in 1995, the North Courtyard is shaped like a plum blossom, the national flower, with a central plaza featuring concentric circles made of granite paving stones, symbolizing unity and devotion to the nation. At the center of the courtyard stands a rare Taiwan cow-tail fir tree, surrounded by crescent-shaped ponds, a viewing platform, and curved seating areas for relaxation.
1995年翻修的北苑，以國花「梅花」的五花瓣為造型，中庭廣場本身用花崗石板做漸層同心圓的排列，表示萬民同心、心繫國家。庭院中心種植1棵原生珍稀的臺灣油杉，外環則配置環形水池，並有觀景平臺與弧形座椅供休憩。
(REF: the site of the Presidential Office)
To log this virtual, you must complete the following tasks:
- Visit the Presidential Office during its opening hours. Visitors should line up at the designated entrance (reference point) for a security check. A valid ID is required for entry. Once the check is complete, you are free to explore the open areas inside the building.
請於開放時間內到訪總統府，依指定入口 (reference point) 排隊接受入場前的安全檢查，並需出示有效證件。完成檢查後，即可自由參觀開放區域。
Please refer: Visitor information / 參觀須知
- Follow the tour route to locate the posted coordinates, which are located near the end of the tour route (not at the begining).
沿著參觀路線，找到公布座標處。
- Take a photo at the posted coordinates. The photo must clearly include the Central Tower, the Octagonal Chambers, and the Taiwan cow-tail fir tree in the background.
在指定座標處拍攝一張照片，照片背景中必須清楚包含中央塔樓、八角亭和北苑的臺灣油杉。
The North Courtyard is open to visitors only on selected weekends and national holidays. On weekdays, visitors can take designated photos in front of the red rope barriers.
北苑僅於指定假日開放進入，若於平日參訪，可在紅龍前拍攝指定照片。
- The photos must also contain either you (no face required), your personal object, a piece of paper with your geocaching name, or anything else that would make your photos unique.
照片中還必須包含以下任一項：您自己（不要求露臉）、您的個人物品、一張寫有您地理尋寶名稱的紙張，或其他能使您的照片具有獨特性的元素。
Please note:
- Your log will be deleted if...
- photo(s) is/are not attached to the found log.
- The photos do not meet the requirements, particularly if the specified objects are missing from the background.
- This Virtual Cache is set up with permission from the Presidential Office. Please adhere to the visitor rules and avoid entering any restricted areas.
- If you have more photos to share, don't hesitate and feel free to post them online.
And I'll be happy to know more about your exploration in the Presidential Office!
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.