Château Prangins

The origins of the current castle lie in a medieval fortress that was the center of a lordship in the 13th century. The Lords of Cossonay-Prangins, who also held Nyon as a fief, came into conflict with the Counts of Savoy at the end of the 13th century and were forced to cede their lordship to them in 1294. In 1536, the old castle was burned down during Bern's conquest of Vaud. However, the lordship of Prangins continued to exist and was placed under the Bernese bailiwick of Nyon. In 1719, the French banker Louis Guiguer acquired the property. From 1732, he had the current Baroque castle built on the ruins of the previous structure. His grandson, Charles-Jules Guiguer de Prangins, sold the castle in 1814 to Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother. After Joseph Bonaparte's flight and Napoleon's downfall, the castle gradually fell into disrepair until it passed into new hands in 1827. In 1873, it was acquired by the Moravian Church, which established an educational institution there and altered the interior. After 1920, the castle changed owners several times, including Horace de Pourtalès and Josephine Dexter. In 1962, Dexter's daughter, Katherine McCormick, deeded the castle to the US government, but sold it after McCormick's death in 1967. After ownership by Bernard Cornfeld, the castle passed to the cantons of Geneva and Vaud in 1974, which then transferred it to the Swiss Confederation in 1975. After restorations and renovations, it was opened as a museum in 1998.

Today, Château Prangins houses the Western Swiss branch of the Swiss National Museum. Exhibitions on Swiss history from the 18th and 19th centuries can be explored here.