Domaine de la Malvande, Historic château in Pregny-Chambésy, Switzerland.
The Domaine de la Malvande, also called château Malvand or La Tour, is a château in the hamlet of Chambésy, in Pregny-Chambésy, canton of Geneva. Its main building is a two-storey house on cellars with a four-sided roof, flanked by two low wings raised by a storey with Mansart roofs. The estate covers 45,629 m², with a 300-metre north-south avenue linking the Nant du Vengeron to the cour d'honneur between the house and its outbuildings.
The oldest document on the estate dates from the 15th century, when the Malvenda brothers, a noble family from Valencia, owned vineyards on the Chambésy slope and the woods of the Foretaille. In 1618 the estate was divided among Melchior's three daughters, and Andréa de Choudens-Malvenda received the residence "La Tour Malvand". Abraham Sauter bought it in 1713 and added a two-storey house against the tower; Jacob Huber, who exchanged lands for it in 1724, demolished the tower, added two low wings and gave the building the name château Malvand. In 1731 Huber acquired the neighbouring Vengeron estate, and in 1751 his heirs sold both to Isaac Vernet. Catherine Fabri-Vernet raised the wings by a storey with Mansart roofs, and in 1857 the Geneva–Versoix railway brought the first division of the land.
The name Malvand comes from the Malvenda family of Valencia, who held the estate from the 15th century; the building was long called "La Tour" after its tower. In 1618 the estate was split among Melchior's three daughters, and Andréa de Choudens-Malvenda brought "La Tour Malvand" as dowry to Jean-François de Malherbe. The name "château Malvand" appeared after Jacob Huber demolished the tower and added two low wings in the 18th century.
The estate was split into 55 plots of 1,500 to 3,500 m² in 1955, and villas went up between 1957 and 1962. What remains is about 5 hectares: the château, its two large outbuildings and 3 hectares of park. Access to the house itself is not open to visitors; the grounds are private property.
The estate's name survives in the hamlet of La Capite, where the property stands in the Vengeron sub-sector of Chambésy. Its 300-metre north-south avenue once linked the Nant du Vengeron stream to the cour d'honneur between the manor and its outbuildings, and the entrances were closed by wrought-iron gates set between limestone posts topped with capitals and stone balls.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,133 contributors worldwide.