Nyon’s neighbouring village of Prangins houses a national treasure – the Château de Prangins. It is the largest 18th century castle open to the public in Switzerland and is filled with Swiss History up to the present day. A Swiss National Museum since 1998 and one of only three in Switzerland, as well as the National Museum Zurich and the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz.
Dedicated to showing us the diversity of Swiss identity through its range of exhibitions, it tells us the story of life in Switzerland in the 18th and 19th centuries, addressing artistic, cultural and social issues. Not only does the Château de Prangins offer permanent and temporary exhibitions, they also offer a host of other services. Read on to find out more.
GROUNDS
The Château de Prangins has extensive grounds including a park, meadow orchard and the largest historical kitchen garden in Switzerland. The Kitchen Garden is a permanent open-air exhibition. It was created in the 1700s to feed the workers who built the Château and is now devoted to preserving traditional regional plants and showcasing domestic biodiversity.
TOURS
Many of us wanting to learn more about the history and culture of Switzerland can be put off from visiting the museum because of a possible language barrier. Perhaps preferring instead to just walk the beautifully kept grounds. It may surprise some to know that the Château de Prangins is committed to widening their reach to visitors to create an inclusive experience. How? Well, by offering their services in multiple languages with English being a focal one.
The Château de Prangins offer seven guided tours for the following exhibitions listed below. They have 14 tour guides available who speak a multitude of languages including French, German, Italian and English.
Not only are their guided tours in English, there are also workshops in English. These include Dyeing with wild flowers and The magic of blue with various indigo plants for adults and Let the journey begin! A Fun Exhibition for Families, a permanent exhibition specially designed for children. Click here for more information.
- What is Switzerland? (from18.06.2022)
- Accrochage – Impressions végétales
- Ovid in the Jura
- The Kitchen Garden
- Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World
- Let the journey begin! A Fun Exhibition for Families
- Noblesse Oblige! Life at a Château in the 18th Century
- Discovering the Enlightenment
There is also an event for Swiss National Day (1st August) and admission will be free!
ROOMS FOR HIRE
The Château has three very different rooms that can be hired for a conference meeting or a cocktail reception. All three spaces for hire offer something unique, you can check them out here. You can also combine your meeting or event with a guided tour, a creative workshop and a meal or apéro at the Café du Château.
BIRTHDAYS
Why not celebrate a birthday at the Château? They offer bespoke, specially designed activities including fairytales and animations for ages 4-16 years old. You can tailor pick the workshop best suited to your child’s age group. For more detailed information contact the Château de Prangins team directly at info.prangins@museenational.ch.
CAFÉ DU CHÂTEAU
Located in the former servants’ wing the restaurant offers a seasonal menu. The historic Kitchen Garden provides the restaurant with vegetables, aromatic herbs and fruits for their menu of the day and desserts. The best part of the Café is the panoramic terrace with a stunning unlimited view over the extensive estate and Lac Léman. Perfect for a sunset apéro or Sunday Brunch.
The Café du Château is also available for private bookings and is able to host 60 people inside and 150 people on the terrace. It makes the perfect venue for a cocktail reception or special dinner party.
This should give you plenty of reasons to head over to the Château du Prangins and check out their exhibitions and everything else they have to offer. Visit their website for more information.
