Penthes Castle (Chambésy)

The origins of Penthes Castle date back to 1358, when Knight Wilhelm de Visencier owned a fortified house with moats and a garden. The original structure was a 19 by 9 meter quadrangle, flanked by four round corner towers. Through marriage, the property passed to François de Sacconay. Around 1650, Mademoiselle Etiennaz de Sacconay married Jean-Antoine de Charrière, giving Penthes its current name and making it a fief of the Lord of Penthaz. Marc Roset acquired the castle in 1690. In 1758, Voltaire bought the nearby Tournay Castle and resided there, as well as in Ferney and Délices. The General Hospital of Geneva became the owner of Penthes in 1761 but soon sold it to Alexandre Sales, who transformed the old fortress into a rural residence. His daughter Jeanne-Louis Sales later sold it to Robert Pigott. Empress Josephine acquired the adjacent Pregny la Tour Castle in 1811. Following the death of Lady Pigott in 1838, her nephew, Colonel Charles von Bontemps, inherited the estate. His niece Elisa received it in 1844 and married Maurice Sarasin. The Duchess of Orleans visited the castle in 1858. Maurice Sarasin had parts of the castle rebuilt in 1870, which had been damaged by the lake. In 1950, the property passed to Louis Birkigt, who carried out extensive work. The Republic and Canton of Geneva purchased Penthes in 1972 and made it available in 1978 to the Foundation for the History of Swiss Abroad, which established a museum and research center there.

Penthes Castle is located in Chambésy, in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, at an elevation of approximately 439 m above sea level.

Today, Penthes Castle houses the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations. The estate also includes one of Geneva's most beautiful parks, which is very popular with visitors.

• Tournay Castle (Chambésy) (Castle), approx. 0.6 km away
• Saconnex Castle (Geneva) (Castle), approx. 1.3 km away
• Banquet Castle (Geneva) (Castle), approx. 1.7 km away
• Genthod Castle (Castle), approx. 3.7 km away