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Château de Prangins - Musée national suisse

The château, a majestic residence built in the 1730s in classical French style, is home to the Swiss National Museum in western Switzerland.

The château became a museum in 1998. With its gardens and interiors restored to their 18th-century state, it makes for a day out that will appeal to lovers of both nature and culture.

The permanent exhibition “Noblesse oblige! Life at a Château in the 18th Century" showcases the historical heritage of Château de Prangins. The reception rooms on the ground floor have been restored to their former splendour, with lavish decoration.

Four exhibitions offer a variety of visits: "Let the Journey begin!", a game exhibition from 4 years old, which highlights the means of transport ; "Discovering the Enlightenment", an open-air exhibition, "Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World"; and the magnificent castle vegetable garden.

This museum welcomes you in the following languages: D/F/I/E. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.

This museum greets you in the following languages: D/F/I/E
Opening 1998

Le Château de Prangins et son jardin potager
Le Château de Prangins et son jardin potager
La salle à manger de l'exposition
La salle à manger de l'exposition "Noblesse oblige!

Current exhibitions

Discovering the Enlightenment

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Accessible free of charge and at all times*, this cultural walk around the site locates the château in the context of the estate, telling its story in the places where it happened. Some twenty silhouettes representing individuals linked to Château de Prangins – from Voltaire, Madame de Staël and Joseph Bonaparte to an anonymous servant fetching water from the fountain – act as waypoints for a charming stroll through the grounds.

The exhibition is documented in the following languages: D/F/E
Guided tours are offered in the following languages: D/F/I/E
Discovering the Enlightenment

The Kitchen Garden

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Permanent open air exhibition, the kitchen garden of the Château de Prangins is the largest historical kitchen garden in Switzerland. With its selection of unusual vegetables, fruits and flowers from another time, it is home to more than 200 ancient regional varieties and focuses, like the museum, on the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment during which travel and science bring many new varieties to its precincts.

The exhibition is documented in the following languages: D/F/I/E
Guided tours are offered in the following languages: D/F/I/E
The Kitchen Garden

Let the journey begin! A fun exhibition for families

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For the first time in Switzerland, a museum is launching a permanent exhibition in the form of a role play specially designed for very young visitors, with two levels to choose from in four languages (French, English, German, Italian): one for children aged 4 to 10 and the other for ages 11 and above. The exhibition puts the visitor centre stage to create an immersive experience that is different each time!

The exhibition is documented in the following languages: D/F/I/E
Let the journey begin! A fun exhibition for families

Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World

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The new permanent exhibition Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World, interweaves local and global history and considers Switzerland’s links to the wider world. It sheds light on the involvement of many Swiss people in key chapters of the modern period, including industrialisation, the triangular trade, colonisation and slavery.

The exhibition is documented in the following languages: D/F/I/E
Guided tours are offered in the following languages: D/F/E
Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World

Noblesse Oblige! Life at a Château in the 18th Century

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The permanent exhibition “Noblesse Oblige! Life at a Château in the Eighteenth Century” is an immersive museum experience enabling visitors to share in the day-to-day life of a noble family in the Vaud region during the Enlightenment. The former reception rooms of Château de Prangins have been returned to their former splendour and now form the backdrop for the exhibition. Boiseries, textiles and false-marble decorations provide the perfect surroundings for some 600 objects from the era.

The exhibition is documented in the following languages: D/F/I/E
Guided tours are offered in the following languages: D/F/E
Noblesse Oblige! Life at a Château in the 18th Century
  • History
    History
  • Thematic cultural asset
    Thematic cultural asset

Location of the museum

Av. Général Guiguer 3
1197 Prangins

Location/directions

Bus TPN bus No 805 or 811 from Nyon railway station (journey time around 10 minutes). Nearest stops: ‘Prangins, Musée national’ or ‘Prangins, Les Abériaux’. | Train Stop Nyon. Take advantage of the RailAway CFF discount (20% off public transport and museum entry) www.cff.ch/prangins | On foot Around 25 minutes’ walk from Nyon station. Follow the pedestrian signposts along the railway line in the direction of Lausanne. | Boat CGN boat to the Nyon jetty, then 20 minutes on foot along the rue de Rive and the route Suisse. |Car Motorway A1: take the Nyon exit (from Geneva), or the Gland exit (from Lausanne), then follow the signposts. Free parking is available along the ‘Route Suisse’, and the château is a pleasant 5-minute walk away, through the Abériaux meadow.

Open

Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 - 17:00
Open on public holidays, except 25 Dec, 1 Jan

Admission

Adults
CHF 10

Senior citizens (AVS), disability/unemployment benefit holders (AI, AC), students, members of the armed forces
CHF 8

Children until the age of 16
Free

Contact

Château de Prangins - Musée national suisse
Av. Général Guiguer 3
1197 Prangins
022 994 88 90 Telephone (musée)
info.prangins@museenational.ch
http://www.chateaudeprangins.ch
  • Member of the Swiss Museums Association.
    Member of the Swiss Museums Association.
  • Museum pass: holders of the Swiss museum pass have free admission.
    Museum pass: holders of the Swiss museum pass have free admission.
  • Parking
    Parking
  • Cafeteria
    Cafeteria
  • Restaurant
    Restaurant
  • Shop
    Shop
  • Extremely children and family-friendly
    Extremely children and family-friendly
  • Partially wheelchair accessible
    Partially wheelchair accessible
  • Very good accessibility with public transport
    Very good accessibility with public transport
  • Museum day: the museum offers a special event on museum day.
    Museum day: the museum offers a special event on museum day.