Festi Castle (Ruin) (Ligerz)

The Festi ruin is the former ancestral castle "Festi" of the Lords of Ligerz above the village of Ligerz in the canton of Bern.

The castle on "Festi" was a fief of the Counts of Nidau and from 1236 until the 16th century the seat of the Barons of Ligerz. The main and outbuildings as well as the tower were subsequently demolished. Today, only a few old wall remains bear witness to the castle. However, three 14th-century vineyard houses still exist. In one of these houses, Elsi and Fernand Giauque founded a meeting place for artists in 1925, which had its significance as a creative center with worldwide appeal in the last century. During this time, the painter Walter Clénin also lived in one of the old vineyard houses of "Festi".

"Festi" can be reached by road via the Ligerz hamlet of Schernelz, or by the Ligerz-Tessenberg railway. This railway, built in 1911-12, connects Ligerz with "Festi", the northern Prägelz (French: "Prêles") and the other villages on the plateau.