Petit-Vivy Chateau, Medieval castle in Barberêche, Switzerland

Petit-Vivy Chateau is a medieval fortified structure located near Courtepin in Switzerland. The stronghold contains a square tower with thick stone walls, surrounded by defensive walls, a moat, a residential building, and a guardhouse arranged within a triangular layout.

The lords of Vivier, first documented in 1153, held Petit-Vivy, also called Nouveau-Vivy, and chose it as their seat, replacing Grand-Vivy, then called the old Vivier. The line died out in 1293 with Conrad de Vivier, Schultheiss of Fribourg in 1270–1271; the estate passed to the lords of Pont, nephews of Conrad, and the site is recorded as castrum de viver et turris. Before 1363 Petit-Vivy and Grand-Vivy became separate lordships held as fiefs of the counts of Thierstein.

The castle served as a seat of power for a noble family and now stands as a protected cultural landmark in Switzerland. Visitors can observe how the structure reflects the medieval social hierarchy and territorial control of the region.

The castle sits at approximately 576 meters elevation near the Schiffenensee lake and can be viewed from the exterior. Visitors should note that this is a protected site with limited access, so it is wise to check visiting conditions in advance.

The keep's original entrance was 9.6 m above ground, reached by a wooden stair or ladder that has vanished; the round-arched door at ground level was only cut in 1908. Until 1884 the tower carried a mansard roof added in the second half of the 16th century, replaced then by today's crenellations.