Permanent Exhibition

Discover History: Life in Switzerland 1730–1920

The main exhibition at Castle of Prangins is devoted to Swiss history from the enlightenment to the beginning of the 20th century. It adopts a thematic approach, depicting life in Switzerland from 1730 to 1920 from cultural, political, economic and social perspectives.

«Discover History» illustrates the process of change that transformed the cantons of the ancien régime, which did not enjoy equal rights, into an economically developed, highly industrialised and more democratic state.

The exhibition also shows that Switzerland has not always been the privileged country we know today. Many Swiss were forced into exile by financial hardship. Under the ancien régime they became mercenaries, while in the 19th century they emigrated overseas.

As visitors pass through the various floors of the castle, they can see how the Confederation of 1848 became the most modern federal state in Europe, while most of the revolutions elsewhere on the continent were doomed to failure.