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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, comprising the salon, dining rooms and libraries, have been returned to their former splendour and now form the backdrop for the exhibition. Boiseries in their original colours, textiles with lustrous motifs and false-marble decorations provide the perfect surroundings for some 600 objects from the era.
“Noblesse Oblige! Life at a Château in the Eighteenth Century” recreates the day-to-day routine of a noble family in the Vaud region at the end of the Ancien Régime, and the life of a baron. Nine rooms examine issues linked to their function: hospitality, wealth and lighting in the salon, servants in the butler’s pantry, and the taste for reading in the library.
Two audioguides by the writer Eugène – one for adults, the other for younger visitors – as well as specially produced films feature the voices of the building’s former inhabitants.
Learning packs and teaching materials related to the permanent “Noblesse Oblige!” exhibition are available.
Come and spend some time with us, we propose a large selection of activities for different target groups. A motivated and experienced team is awaiting you.
Guided tours can also be arranged outside of the official opening hours upon request.
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Registration |
2 weeks in advance |
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Duration |
60 minutes; special arrangements available upon request |
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Group size |
max. 25 people per tour |
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Languages |
German, French, Italian and English. Others upon request. |
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Cost |
CHF 120 for the guided tour + CHF 10/person admission Children up to 16 years free. |
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Linked to the school syllabus (PER)
Areas and subjects: French, Citizenship, Interdependencies (social, economic, environmental), Swiss history, Human and social sciences.
Skills: vocabulary and expressions, putting an event in context and using conventional representations, interpreting evidence from the past, comparing ways of life.
Ages: 10 to 15
Language: English
Noblesse Oblige! Life at a Château in the 18th Century – now for the 21st
The permanent exhibition on the historical heritage of Château de Prangins is revamping its image, with a boldly contemporary and unselfconscious poster designed to attract new audiences. While remaining faithful to its content and spirit, the exhibition is now enhanced by an exceptional object: a rare, 18th-century tureen. Visitors are invited to discover – or rediscover – the exhibition at a special free open day on 2 March.
Opened in March 2013, Noblesse Oblige! Life at a Château in the 18th Century is the centrepiece of the presentation at Prangins, which has been home to the Swiss National Museum in French-speaking Switzerland since 1998. It features a number of former reception rooms that have been returned to their former splendour amidst a décor that invites visitors to take a fascinating journey back into the daily life of the Guiguer family, who built the property and lived there for four successive generations during the Enlightenment, overseeing an extensive agricultural estate.
Twelve years on from its inauguration, the exhibition remains as relevant and historically interesting as ever, but is now looking to appeal to new audiences. The communication campaign, created by L’ADMP (Nyon) and Clay Studio in collaboration with photographer Nicolas Coulomb, plays with the contrast between past and present and draws on the evocative, even iconoclastic power of fashion photography offers a new perspective on the boiseries in their original colours, textiles with lustrous motifs and false marble that serve as the backdrop for some 600 period objects.
In addition, the exhibition now boasts an exceptionally rare new item: a silver tureen dating from the 18th century that belonged to the Ployard family, friends and relatives of the Guiguers who had settled in Geneva. Used to serve stew, it was acquired by the Swiss National Museum in 2021 and now takes pride of place in the large dining room on the ground floor. An ad-hoc presentation in three languages details its history and value.
Finally, expanding the museum’s cultural education activities, a visitor guide in easy-to-read French is now available, along with a new, fun and informative quiz game for families to explore the exhibition.
A special open day on 2 March will mark the launch of the new image for Noblesse Oblige!, the tureen display and the new educational resources.
Images
Tatiana Oberson
Head of Marketing, Communication & Fundraising
Noblesse oblige! Life at a Château in the 18th Century
Built overlooking Lake Geneva in the early Enlightenment, Château de Prangins enjoyed an eventful history, which included serving as a residence for Voltaire and Joseph Bonaparte, before becoming home to the Swiss National Museum in French-speaking Switzerland. The recreation of the period décor of the château’s reception rooms, based on the journal and inventory of the assets of Louis-François Guiguer (1741–1786), enables visitors to immerse themselves in the lifestyle of a noble gentleman and his family on the eve of the French Revolution. Combining cultural history, the decorative arts and private writings, this book also reveals the extensive eighteenth-century collections of the Swiss National Museum.
2013, 135 pages, illus., in english
26 x 19 cm, paperback
ISBN: 978-3-905875-90-4
