Visiting & spotting

How to read a star fort

A few clues help you see the bastions, ravelins, ditches and slopes.

Check before you go

Opening times, entry and access change. Check with the people who look after the place you’re visiting, such as English Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland or the US National Park Service, before you set off. Details here show the date we checked them.

What to look for

A bastion is a pentagonal (five-sided) shape that points two faces towards the attacker and joins the curtain walls with two flanks. Network of Vauban’s Major Sites: History of the bastioned fortification
Ravelin (or demi-lune): a defence in front of the curtain wall, surrounded by ditches. A triangular ravelin usually had two faces meeting at a sharp angle, and often protected the gate. Network of Vauban’s Major Sites: glossary, Demi-lune or ravelin
Glacis: a gently sloping bank of earth running from the top of the covered way down to the natural ground in front of the fort. Network of Vauban’s Major Sites: glossary, Glacis
Embrasure: an opening designed for a cannon. Network of Vauban’s Major Sites: glossary, Embrasure
The best view of the star shape is from Goryokaku Tower. Visit Hokkaido: Goryokaku Fort

Entry to the Goryokaku park is free (the Magistrate’s Office charges an admission fee). Visit Hokkaido: Goryokaku Fort · checked 3 Nov 2026

Fort George is still an army base, home of the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland: Fort George, history · checked 3 Nov 2026

You can walk the whole circuit of Berwick’s ramparts. English Heritage: Berwick-upon-Tweed Castle and Ramparts Some sections of Berwick’s ramparts have steep unguarded drops. English Heritage: Berwick-upon-Tweed Castle and Ramparts

From Fort George you can sometimes see dolphins off the point. Historic Environment Scotland: Fort George

Visit Hokkaido says the text on its Goryokaku page includes machine translations. Visit Hokkaido: Goryokaku Fort