Discover the Kitchen Garden at Château de Prangins, the largest of its kind in Switzerland and a permanent open-air exhibition. Like the museum, the Kitchen Garden traces its roots back to the 18th century – the Age of Enlightenment – when expeditions and travellers bring countless new things and previously unknown plants back from all over the world.

In 1723, the Prangins estate is acquired by Louis Guiguer, a Parisian banker originally from Switzerland. One of his first acts is to fill in the western section of the ditches that surround the château and level the land to allow the creation of the Kitchen Garden. Surrounded by walls adorned with espaliered fruit trees, the garden has its own microclimate, acting as a heat chamber in summer and a refrigerator in winter. The cruciform shape confers order and symmetry and is emphasised by the box borders and decoration of flowering plants.

More than 200 years later, in 1998, the Swiss National Museum opens its base in French-speaking Switzerland at Château de Prangins. Recreated in its original form, the Kitchen Garden is now a conservation centre devoted to preserving traditional regional plants and showcasing domestic biodiversity. Over an area measuring 5,500m², almost 200 species and varieties of fruits, vegetables, aromatic and utilitarian plants that were present in the region in the 18th century are grown in accordance with organic farming principles.

As well as being a productive resource, the Kitchen Garden is also a place for reflection and knowledge-sharing. A programme of workshops, guided tours and public events critically examines our eating habits, both yesterday and today, and their environmental, economic and agronomic impact.

Visitors can pick up a plan full of useful information as well as an engaging and imaginative audioguide, and take a self-guided tour of the site. The Gardener’s Cottage is a fascinating complement to the Kitchen Garden, with an entertaining exhibition exploring four different topics over time.

The Kitchen Garden is a living and evolving place to pause and reflect, or simply enjoy a stroll. Its magnificent setting, constantly changing shapes and colours lend it a timeless charm. For those feeling hungry after their walk, the produce harvested from the Kitchen Garden is sometimes offered to the public for tasting and, when available, is a seasonal addition to the delicacies served up in the Café du Château.