DOMAINE DE PENTHES
WHERE INTERNATIONAL GENEVA MEETS INTERNATIONAL SWITZERLAND

Domaine de Penthes (Pregny-Chambésy)

In Geneva many locals and expatriates are familiar with the Domaine de Penthes on the road to Pregny, just beyond the Palais de Nations.

BENEDICT VON TSCHARNER
CHAIRMAN, FOUNDATION FOR THE HISTORY OF THE SWISS ABROAD

When strolling through the park one can enjoy the distant view of the Lake and the Mont-Blanc and ad mire the beautiful old trees – some of which have sadly been felled in the past by thunder and lightening storms. At the Restaurant and Conference Centre Le Cent-Suisses where meetings, seminars and receptions are held regularly, one can also sit and enjoy a long and relaxed lunch in the peaceful ambiance of the park, and wonder what the Château de Penthes with its Musée et Institut des Suisses dans le Monde (Museum and Institute of the Swiss Abroad) holds in store.

Well, let us put it this way: We are often tempted to consider history in terms of an interplay between political actors and institutions, both within a nation and on the international scene. Yet we know that individuals play an equally significant role, both within their natural habitat and cultural environment as well as when migrating beyond their country’s borders.

The Swiss, like the citizens of many other nations, have from the earliest times travelled far and wide and have left their mark on their new environment as soldiers in the service of foreign kings through out the centuries, as diplomats, as travellers and explorers in the most remote corners of the earth, as traders, bankers and industrial pioneers, as teachers and educators, missionaries or humanitarian delegates, architects and engineers, farmers and cheese-makers, pastrycooks, hotel managers, artists, journalists, and even clowns.

In the early years of its history, rough and mountainous Switzerland was not a naturally wealthy country and could not always feed all its sons and daughters. However, massive emigration has never been typical of Switzerland and through their hard work and enterprise eventually it be came a country of immigration; but that is another story.

Whether they returned to their place of origin or not, the country has greatly profited from the Swiss abroad; they have made, and continue to make, a significant contribution to «Swissness» and to the image and reputation in the world as a neutral country which can fairly mediate in dialogue between peoples.

What then, more concretely, does the visitor find at the Museum in Penthes? Before even paying tribute to some of the more distinguished Swiss who have had a career abroad, the showrooms try to briefly answer the question «Why Switzer land?» «How did this nation emerge? «Further on, we find a rich collection of portraits, pictures, objects and documents illustrating the lives and deeds of individual Swiss abroad. Reaching way beyond the famous foreign (military) service that has left us its colourful flags, uniforms and arms, the Museum tries to illustrate the full diversity of trades and destinies for which it can get significant material.

This being an entirely private collection, its survival depends very much on the generosity of donors who are willing to deposit additional objects and/or on sponsors, big and small, who support it financially with a view to adding new collection items, to staging temporary exhibit ions or to publishing relevant studies – not necessarily extensive scientific works but rather brochures bringing history to the public at large. Conferences and study tours also form part of the programme.

«Swiss Abroad» – a few names among many others:

Paracelsus
François Le Fort
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Germaine de Staël-Necker
Leonhard Euler
Albert Gallatin
Madame Tussaud (Marie Grosholtz)
Louis Chevrolet
Arthur Honegger
Le Corbusier (Charles Edouard Jeanneret)
Blaise Cendrars
Grock (Adrien Wettach)
Claude Nicollier
...and why not: Roger Federer?

A last word about the special features of Penthes: The estate’s owner, the Republic and Canton of Geneva, allow us to run our Restaurant and Conference Centre in order to keep the Museum and Institute alive – patrons thus indirectly contribute to a worthy cause ! This provides us with a very special link to international Geneva since, given the location of Le Cent-Suisses, international organizations and diplomatic missions provide an important share of our clients. Sometimes, private functions turn out to be very inter national too ! What we would like to achieve is to create that very special « Esprit de Penthes » with its own mix of serious work and conviviality in an environment of natural calm and beauty.

Address:
18, chemin de l’Impératrice,
1292 Pregny-Chambésy, free parking
www.penthes.ch

Musée et Institut des Suisses dans le Monde:
Phone: 022 734 90 21
musee@penthes.ch

Restaurant et Centre de Conférences Le Cent-Suisses:
Phone: 022 734 48 65
restaurant@penthes.ch