Wittigkofen Castle was originally built as a residence for a farm and was awarded to the followers of the Zähringians. In the mid-13th century Heinricus Wittenchoven managed the farm. He was a member of the council and the first documented feudal superior. The property was also home to the monastery of Interlaken. The castle had several owners and belonged to different families. Beat Ludwig von Mülinen (1521-1597) purchased the castle in 1570 and gave half to Hans Rudolf Steiger (1549-1577) six years later.
In June 2011 a decision was made by the director Jürg StüssiLauterburg of the Library am Guisanplatz (BiG), a federal military library in Bern, to purchase a historical collection of items from the Von Wurstemberger family. The collection of items had been collected and exhibited in the Wittigkofen Castle. The collection included a large library, maps, and a portrait of Johann Ludwig Von Wurstemberger, a cabinet, and drawings. The Von Wurstemberger library was located in the French room of the castle and contained many books that reflected the impact that this family had on the Confederation's military history. Before being packed for transfer, every book was thoroughly cleaned with a special vacuum to avoid bringing insects to their new location. The books were packed into 50 removal boxes for transfer to the Library am Guisanplatz, with the help of active military personnel, and moved to their new location in September 2011.
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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.