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Château de Penthes

Site Canton of Geneva · Uninhabited site (municipality of Pregny-Chambésy)
Part of the municipality of Pregny-Chambésy
View of Château de Penthes
Photo: Romano1246, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Château de Penthes

The place was called « Penthaz » (now Penthes). Where does the name come from? That is still unknown.[2]

Founding of Château de Penthes

The Château de Penthes stands on the Pregny slope, in the municipality of Pregny-Chambésy. A fortified house existed here in the 14th century. In the 16th and 17th centuries the fortified building of Penthaz, like that of Pregny-la-Tour, recalled Pregny's border position. In the 1750s and 1760s the estate received a classical mansion, which replaced the fortified house. The estate belongs to the canton of Genève. From 1972 the château housed the Museum of the Swiss Abroad, and in 1984 an outbuilding was dedicated to General Dufour. The museum, run by a private foundation, closed in 2021 after the foundation went bankrupt.[1][2][3][5]

History of Château de Penthes

14th century. A fortified house occupies the site.[1]

16th-17th century. The fortified building of Penthaz, like that of Pregny-la-Tour, recalls Pregny's border position.

1750s-1760s. The estate receives a classical mansion, which replaces the fortified house.[2]

1972. The château becomes the Museum of the Swiss Abroad (or in 1978).[1][5]

1984. An outbuilding of the estate is dedicated to General Dufour. The same year the Musée militaire genevois opens in the former stables.[1][6]

2010. The museum's lease on this cantonal estate is due to expire on 31 January 2012. Since 2008 the foundation has asked for a 30-year renewal, and in November the Grand Council adopts a motion to keep the museum at Penthes.[3][4]

2011. On 20 April the Council of State chooses for the estate the project of a centre for global cooperation. Integrating the museum remains under study.[4]

2021. In May the foundation of the Museum of the Swiss in the World goes bankrupt as a result of the pandemic and the museum closes. The canton has not extended the lease, which expires in January 2022.[5]

Historic sites in Château de Penthes

Château de Penthes. 18th-century mansion built in place of a 14th-century fortified house. The main building and outbuildings stand in the public Parc de l'Impératrice on the Pregny slope.[1][2]

Musée militaire genevois. Opened in 1984 in the estate's former stables, at chemin de l'Impératrice 18a. It presents Genevan military history since the early 19th century.[6]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Pregny-Chambésy » (Dominique Torrione-Vouilloz), version du 06.07.2010
  2. Office fédéral de la culture, Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale à protéger en Suisse (ISOS), « Pregny » (2e version, juillet 2019)
  3. swissinfo.ch, « Menace sur le musée des Suisses dans le monde » (28.09.2010)
  4. Grand Conseil de la République et canton de Genève, Q 3651-A, réponse du Conseil d'État à la question écrite de M. Pierre Weiss (2011)
  5. swissinfo.ch, « 'Swiss in the World' museum to shut its doors » (10.05.2021)
  6. Association des musées suisses, museums.ch, « Musée militaire genevois »
  7. geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (Château de Penthes, coordonnées)

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