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Coat of arms of Pregny-Chambésy

Pregny-Chambésy

Canton of Geneva · 4'125 inhabitants (31.12.2025)
View of Pregny-Chambésy
Photo: Jérémy Toma, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · Coat of arms: Public domain
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Pregny-Chambésy

Pregny appears in 1113 as « Priniacum », Chambésy in 1277 as « Sambesie ». The name Pregny may come from a « fundus Priniacus ». That of Chambésy has not yet been explained. The municipality was first called Pregny. Its new name reflects the continuous development of the hamlets of Chambésy.[1][2]

Founding of Pregny-Chambésy

The site has been occupied since the Neolithic, and the ancient road from Genève to Nyon crosses the territory. This originally comprised the village of Pregny, the hamlets of Chambésy-Dessus and Chambésy-Dessous and the quarter of Roilbot. Modern neighbourhoods were added later. The fief of Pregny depended on the lordship of Gex, the tithes on the chapter of Saint-Pierre in Genève. The village then shared the eventful fate of the Pays de Gex, between Savoy, Bern, Genève and France, until its union with Genève. Its agricultural character has disappeared: the municipality has become residential and is dominated by the service sector.[1][2]

History of Pregny-Chambésy

Neolithic. The site is occupied.[1]

1113. First mention of Pregny (« Priniacum »).[1][2]

1277. First mention of Chambésy (« Sambesie »).[1]

1353-1536. Pregny, sharing the fate of the Pays de Gex, is under Savoyard sovereignty.[1]

1481. The church is mentioned under the dedication to Saint Petronilla.[1]

1536. Bernese conquest; the parish adopts the Reformation.[1][2]

1567. Return to Savoy.[1][2]

1590-1601. Conquest and administration by Genève.[1]

1601. Annexation to France.[1][2]

1662. Louis XIV has the Reformed places of worship destroyed, including the temple of Pregny.[2]

1685. The parish becomes Catholic again.[1]

1755. Construction of the Le Reposoir estate.[1]

1758. Voltaire, settled at Ferney and Pregny, has the Château de Tournay remodelled, which he nicknamed « vieux vilain château ».[2]

1815. Union with Genève; Pregny becomes a municipality in 1816.[1][2]

1858-1860. Construction of the Château Rothschild.[1][2]

1862-1863. Construction of the present parish church.[1][2]

19th century. During the Kulturkampf the struggle is fierce in Pregny and the municipal authorities are removed from office.

1946. The former Hotel Carlton, once the Thudicum boarding school, becomes the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).[1]

1960. The municipality, until then called Pregny, takes the name Pregny-Chambésy because of the continuous development of Chambésy (date uncertain: 1952 or 1960).[1][2]

1966. Opening of the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.[1]

1972. The Château de Penthes becomes the Museum of the Swiss Abroad. An annex devoted to General Dufour is added in 1984.[1]

2005. The service sector provides 89% of jobs.[1]

Population of Pregny-Chambésy

Sources and references: [1][3]

Population of Pregny-Chambésy
Early 16th century12 hearths (households)
1850463
1900651
19501'093
20003'009
20254'125

Historic sites in Pregny-Chambésy

Pregny, Chambésy-Dessus, Chambésy-Dessous and Roilbot. The village and hamlets forming the original territory of the municipality, mentioned in 1113 (Pregny) and 1277 (Chambésy).[1]

Château Rothschild. Built in 1858-1860 for Baron Adolphe de Rothschild and completed in 1872. In 1887-1892 Julie de Rothschild had more than 1'500 trees planted in the park.[1][2]

Château de Penthes. 18th-century manor house replacing a 14th-century fortified house. Museum of the Swiss Abroad since 1972, with an annex devoted to General Dufour (1984).[1]

Le Reposoir, La Fenêtre and Les Ormeaux. Large estates of the municipality: Le Reposoir (1755), La Fenêtre (1820-1822) and Les Ormeaux (1835-1836). Some house permanent missions to the UN.[1]

Church of Sainte-Pétronille. Catholic parish church built in 1862-1863. The dedication to Saint Petronilla is recorded from 1481. A Protestant chapel was built at Chambésy in 1901.[1][2]

Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Founded in 1966 at Chambésy, it brings together several central bodies of the Orthodox Church.[1]

ICRC headquarters. Since 1946 in the former Hotel Carlton, once the Thudicum boarding school.[1]

Remains in Pregny-Chambésy

Château de Tournay. At the end of the 13th century the heart of Pregny was the fief of the d'Anières family, whose history the Château de Tournay recalls. Voltaire, who settled there in 1758, embellished it and gave it back a feudal look, and Alfred Baur had it restored from 1915.[2]

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. Office cantonal de la statistique (OCSTAT), Mémento statistique du canton de Genève 2026, tableau Population résidante par commune, en 2025
  4. geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (coordonnées)

Localities of the municipality with a page

Other villages near Pregny-Chambésy

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