A popular cherry blossom viewing spot
Goryokaku, which had been used as an army training ground since the Meiji era, was opened as a park in 1913.
Someiyoshino cherry trees were planted over a period of 10 years starting in 1913, and in 1923, the "10,000 Commemorative Cherry Trees Monument" was built to commemorate the 10,000 cherry trees that were planted in Goryokaku.
Approximately 1,600 of these cherry trees remain today, making it one of the most popular cherry blossom viewing spots in Hokkaido.
Hakodate Magistrate Office
The Hakodate Magistrate's Office was established by the Edo Shogunate as a base for defending Japan's northern frontier.
In 1854, the Edo shogunate concluded the Treaty of Friendship between Japan and the U.S. after Perry's arrival in Japan. The treaty opened the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate (present-day Hakodate) to the U.S., ending Japan's 200-year isolation and opening the country to the outside world.
The Hakodate Magistrate's Office was originally located at the foot of Mount Hakodate, but was relocated in 1864 after Goryokaku was built and the building was constructed inside the enclosure.
Only two years after its completion, the Edo shogunate collapsed in 1868.
It became the scene of the Hakodate War, the last battle of the Boshin War, and was dismantled in 1871 after only seven years.
The building was restored in 2010 after extensive research of old photographs, literary materials, and old drawings.
Goryokaku Tower
Goryokaku Tower is a 107-meter-high observation tower with a star-shaped tower and a pentagonal observation deck.
The 90-meter observation deck offers a 360-degree view of the star-shaped Goryokaku and the Hakodate city area.
The original design was not star-shaped
Goryokaku was designed to accommodate the foreign warships with cannons that arrived in Hakodate, and the design drawings were completed with reference to European castle-building techniques of the time.
However, due to budget shortages and the fact that the foreign threat was not as great as expected after the opening of the port, the outer construction was scaled back.
Today, there is a half-moon fort connected by a single bridge at one location southwest of the star shape. Initially, five locations were planned, and the blueprints were in the shape of a star turned 36 degrees, with two stars stacked on top of each other.