St. Nicholas' Cathedral is a significant, well preserved example of northern German Late Brick Gothic; the church features three aisles, two transepts and a single-aisled ambulatory. Particularly impressive is the church's northern tiered gable. The church features 22 stained glass features considered to be treasures of international significance, a feature of the cathedral elevating the building to a heritage site of Europe-wide importance.
The cathedral was founded in 1188 by Margrave Otto II. The construction of present building was begun in 1423. In World War II the cathedral suffered damages during an air raid on April 8, 1945. The vault of the south transept and parts of the cloister were destroyed. The medieval windows had been removed before and survived.
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.