Château de Prangins

In 1962, at the suggestion of her friend Adlai Stevenson, Katharine gave Prangins to the U.S. government who initially intended it to be the official residence of their Ambassador to the United Nations. But, eight years later (1970), it was sold to Bernard Cornfeld, the administrator of the IOS (Investment Overseas Services). At roughly the same time the Swiss National Museum was looking to transfer part of its collection to a suitable location in the French-speaking cantons of Switzerland. Prangins was selected, but the Swiss government refused to pay the the sale price of 2.5 million Swiss Francs. In 1974, it was purchased by the combined local governments of Vaud and Geneva who gifted the property to the Swiss National Museum the following year (1975). Since 1998, it has been open to the public as a museum focusing on life in both the castle and the region.