Doumely Castle is a 15th-century fortified castle that dominates the countryside of Porcien, situated in the commune of Doumely-Bégny. The castle was fully restored at the end of the 20th century by its current owner, who had acquired the castle in complete ruins. The structure bears witness to the transformations that successive occupants have made to the castle: filling of the ditches, openings in the façade, destruction of internal levels, etc.
The castle is characterised by its four teardrop-shaped defensive towers, that once overlooked a moat filled with water.
The association Les Amis du Château de Doumely (Friends of the Château de Doumely) organises tours to the monument and gives seminars on the topic of life in the middle-ages.
References:Goryōkaku (五稜郭) (literally, 'five-point fort') is a star fort in the Japanese city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido. The fortress was completed in 1866. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.
Goryōkaku was designed in 1855 by Takeda Ayasaburō and Jules Brunet. Their plans was based on the work of the French architect Vauban. The fortress was completed in 1866, two years before the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate. It is shaped like a five-pointed star. This allowed for greater numbers of gun emplacements on its walls than a traditional Japanese fortress, and reduced the number of blind spots where a cannon could not fire.
The fort was built by the Tokugawa shogunate to protect the Tsugaru Strait against a possible invasion by the Meiji government.
Goryōkaku is famous as the site of the last battle of the Boshin War.