Fort Anping – Tainan, Taiwan

Kärcher carries out restorative cleaning on Fort Anping

Kärcher recently completed its first ever cleaning project in Taiwan as part of its cultural sponsorship programme: cleaning at Fort Anping in the city of Tainan removed dirt as well as the effects of time. This contributed to preserving one of Taiwan's most important fortresses. The work took 15 days in total.

"Kärcher has already cleaned over 100 monuments and landmarks worldwide and has gained extensive experience in the process", says Klaus Pühmeyer, Managing Director Kärcher South East Asia. "We chose the almost 400-year-old Fort Anping in Tainan as our first project in Taiwan. After almost two years' preparation and planning, we are proud of the visibly good results."

Organic dirt like algae, fungi and lichen had built up over the centuries in the reddish brick of the complex built by the Dutch East India Company. However, it was moss in particular that had damaged the building's structure. Without the use of chemical additives, the dirt was gently removed from the facade using 150°C steam at a pressure of 0.5 - 1 bar. This not only meant that further damage could be prevented, but that the life of the cultural site could also be extended.

As part of its cultural sponsorship programme, Kärcher is working closely with monument owners, restoration experts and art historians to continuously develop new restorative cleaning methods that are environmentally sound. Another important part of this commitment is careful preparation: the most suitable cleaning parameters to remove the layers of dirt from Fort Anping were chosen during test cleaning back in October 2015.