Garengo Castle (Céligny)

The castle was built in 1722 and extended in the 19th century.

Located next to the temple, the Castle of Garengo near Céligny, property of the heirs of the family of Ernst Schmidheiny, a St. Gallen entrepreneur, is for sale (information 2005). As the superintendent confided, Garengo is an art of living that invites visitors to dream as soon as they pass through the entrance gate and enter the courtyard of honor. In its center stands a very beautiful fountain and opposite the entrance, the elegant and sober residence. It is a beautiful 18th-century residence. On each side, two outbuildings of more recent construction. The left annex, designated as the music room, experienced a rather strong musical life when the pianist and composer Ernest Schelling lived there. This estate consists of approximately 60,000 m2. One-third of the area consists of ornamental spaces. They are based on nature and become one with the rather uneven relief.

The imprint of the famous English landscape architect Russel Page can be found in the English garden. A little further on, a magnificent rhododendron massif allows the magic of colors to run free. The park gently slopes down the hill, planted with ancient trees. Some were unfortunately destroyed in Hurricane Lothar. The Brassu stream meanders along the estate and supplies various water features, waterfalls, and the four fountains, limited by a jet fountain, which represent the charm of Garengo.

Garengo is the name of a piece of land found on the oldest plans of Céligny. Its name appears from the 1400s. At the site of the current castle, there was a fortified house that was the property of the Céligny family. Currently, almost no traces of it remain in old documents. In fact, in 1939, fire consumed the attic where they were stored. The roof was destroyed, and the interior of the castle suffered damage.

From the 15th century until today, there have been some changes of ownership! Thus, in 1910, it became the property of Ernest Schelling, a world-renowned artist. The castle then became a famous meeting place. On beautiful summer evenings, it was not uncommon to hear Paderewski and Schelling playing in the music salon. Two years after his death, his widow sold the property to Ernst Schmidheiny.