The extension to the Lake Geneva Museum

With the Museum’s exceptional location on the lake shore at Nyon, the project for its extension involves a new iconic building and the expansion of its exhibition area. The aim of this new museum is to duly acknowledge the multiple facets of Lake Geneva, one of the biggest lakes in Europe, which as yet has no suitable museum venue to showcase its merits.

THE PROJECT

The Lake Geneva Museum, founded in 1954, is the only museum in the region to furnish a window on the cultural and natural aspects of the lake. All the aspects of the biggest lake in Western Europe are concentrated in a unique museum that is accessible to everyone. Its exceptional collection of thousands of documents and objects, including 50 boats and 300 scale models, enables visitors to comprehend the importance of Lake Geneva’s biodiversity and culture.

Today, this abundant heritage deserves to be shown to better advantage. This is why the Fondation pour le Musée du Léman, set up in 2013, is putting its efforts into creating an extension that will increase the Museum’s attractiveness and showcase its most emblematic collections. This magnificent project for Nyon, its region and beyond, is one of the registered priorities of the Municipality in the programme for the 2016-2021 legislature.

The architectural competition and the early stages of the project, the cost of which was close on 3 million francs, were financed by private funds from benefactors, foundations, companies, associations and friends of the Museum (76%), with the support of public funds from Nyon, the Nyon Region and the Canton of Vaud (25%).

The Museum is now preparing for the implementation phase.

Images © FHV Architectes

THE DESIGN

The extension to the Lake Geneva Museum aims at creating more than 6,000 m2 of space for visitors, to include three main areas:

Exhibition area: permanent exhibition rooms and galleries, temporary exhibition room, aquariums, shop and ticket purchase, entry hall.
Activities area: 200-seat auditorium, seminar rooms, meeting room, teaching rooms, foyer, restaurant and cafeteria with an outside terrace in the old courtyard.
Skills area: Lake Geneva documentation centre, administration, archives.

The Museum’s collections will be enriched in order to meet the expectations of today’s public and will be accessible to numerous persons actively involved in culture and sport.

SUPPORTING THE PROJECT

Join us now in endowing Nyon with a modern museum that showcases Lake Geneva and extends our town’s reputation well beyond its borders.

Fondation pour le Musée du Léman
Service de la Culture, Place du Château 5, CH-1260 Nyon
fml@nyon.ch

Foundation: +41 22316 42 58
Secretariat: +41 22 316 41 94
Carinne Bertola: +41 79 339 56 39

IBAN CH30 0483 5131 5828 2100 1
Clearing No.4385/BIC CRESCHZZ80A

Crédit Suisse, Nyon branch: donations are tax-deductible.