When the Dutch arrived in Taiwan, their first task was to build a citadel, which became Fort Zeelandia (today known as the Anping Historic Fort, located in Tainan). At the same time, just across the bay (a bay which, because of siltation, no longer exists), they established the town of Proventia (the main structure of which, now known as Chihkanlou, still stands).
因此，大員也成為當時台灣的另一個稱呼。荷蘭人來到大員，首要工作是建築城堡，也就是熱蘭遮城（今天的安平古堡），同時又隔著台江內海（已經淤積不存在的台南市西區外海），在對岸設立了普羅文西亞市鎮，就是今天的赤崁樓。