Pré-De-Vers

RolleSwitzerland 46° N · 6° E Verified Aug 2026

A chalet from the 1896 Geneva National Exhibition hides at Pré-de-Vers, a lakeside estate born from a 1917 family tragedy into a quiet children's refuge.

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Time needed
30–60 minutes
Entry
Free

A boy died here in 1917, a few days before his twelfth birthday, and that death is the reason this 13-hectare estate at the western edge of Rolle, Switzerland, still hums with purpose a century later. Pré-de-Vert—originally Pré-de-Vers—is not a museum but a working foundation for vulnerable children, and the story of how it came to be is the most quietly astonishing thing in Rolle.

Start with the property itself. In 1885 Edmond Eynard bought it, added an artificial pond, farm buildings, stables, and—strangest of all—a chalet transported from the Swiss Village of the 1896 Geneva National Exhibition. That chalet had been a display piece, a stage set for national identity; at Pré-de-Vert it became a home.

Then tragedy rewrote everything. Marguerite Russell-Eynard inherited in 1913, married an English gentleman named Claude Russell, and raised their son Claudi across these thirteen hectares. Claudi died of tuberculosis in 1917; Claude died of Spanish flu in 1918. Marguerite, ill with the same disease that killed her son, spent her final years planning a different future for the estate.

Today the Fondation Claudi Russell-Eynard serves more than a hundred children with socio-educational, therapeutic, and specialized teaching services. You won't find a ticket desk; you come for the perimeter, the pond, and the story. Walk the edge of the grounds near the road and you'll see the institution still breathing.

Researched by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise.

What to see

  1. The Western Gates of Pré-de-Vert

    Start where the estate meets the road at Rolle's western edge. You can't enter. This is a working care foundation for children, not a museum, but the public road gives you the outline of 13 hectares—about 32 acres—of old parkland, plane trees, and the quiet bulk of a 19th-century domain. Listen for children's voices during school hours; they're the living echo of a decision made in grief after Marguerite Russell-Eynard lost her son Claudi to tuberculosis in 1917, days before his 12th birthday. In 1924 she bequeathed the whole property to the commune in his memory, and the gates still carry that weight.

  2. The Chalet That Came from a World's Fair

    Somewhere behind the perimeter trees stands a wooden chalet that began as a stage set. Edmond Eynard bought it after the 1896 Geneva National Exhibition closed, had it dismantled, hauled to Rolle, and reassembled on the estate. You may catch its roofline from the road, but the real pleasure is knowing it's there—a piece of performed Swissness now doing quiet duty inside a children's home. No plaque marks it, which feels right for a building that has already lived two lives.

  3. From the Estate Edge to the Lake

    Walk the short distance from Pré-de-Vert's western gates down toward the water, and the estate's story opens into Rolle's public lakefront. Pass Rolle Castle, whose 13th-century towers rise straight from the lake, then continue along the Place de la Harpe and the Lakefront Quay to the little Île de la Harpe offshore. The contrast is the point: a private domain built on grief, and a public shore built for trade and promenading, both shaped by the same lake light.

Plan your visit

Getting There
By train, Rolle is around 30 minutes from Geneva and 20 from Lausanne. From Rolle Railway Station, walk 10–15 minutes southwest along the Route de Genève; you'll spot the tree curtain at the western entrance. By car, take the A1 exit at Rolle and follow signs toward the town centre — the estate is on the left as the speed limit drops.
Opening Hours
Pré-de-Vers is not open to the public in any season. As of 2026, it remains a working children's foundation (Fondation Claudi Russell-Eynard) with no tours, visitor hours, or interior access. The only legitimate view is from the public Route de Genève or the pavement outside the boundary.
Time Needed
Allow 5–10 minutes if you're pausing by the road to take in the 13-hectare green buffer and its line of mature trees. Better: make it the opening act of a 1–2 hour Rolle loop that includes the lakefront and castle; on its own, the estate won't hold you beyond a few photos.
Accessibility
The estate itself has no public wheelchair access — its paths and buildings belong to the foundation. Along the Route de Genève, the sidewalk exists but narrows; for a fully wheelchair-friendly alternative, use the flat, paved lakefront promenade at Rolle's port, about 15 minutes east.
Cost / Tickets
There is no entry fee because there is no public entry, as of 2026. Ignore any third-party site offering tickets or guided tours of Pré-de-Vers. Your only costs are transport and parking in Rolle centre, where paid zones apply.

History

The Boy Who Never Saw Twelve

Before the Eynards, Pré-de-Vert was a pasture at the end of the 17th century belonging to the Baron of Rolle—not the castle lords, but the local barony. In 1762 Colonel Sigismond Weiss acquired it and built a rural building. Around 1880 Gabriel Eynard replaced that old farm with an elegant country house.

The real transformation began in 1885, when Edmond Eynard took over. He dug an artificial pond, raised a farm and stables, and imported a chalet from a world's fair. The domain became a landscape of deliberate beauty—thirteen hectares of lawns, trees, and Lake Geneva light.

The turning point

The Mother, the Boy, and the Estate

Marguerite Russell-Eynard inherited Pré-de-Vert in 1913 and moved in with her husband Claude, an English gentleman, and their son Claudi. According to the institution's own history, Claudi's childhood was 'heureuse'—happy, spoiled by family, surrounded by cousins in a 'cadre naturel sans égal,' a natural setting without equal.

Then tuberculosis took the boy. He died in 1917, a few days before his twelfth birthday; a newspaper account gives June 17, but the institution's archive records only the year. The next year, Claude died of the 1918 Spanish flu. Marguerite, suffering from the same tuberculosis that killed her son, faced a choice: let the estate become a mausoleum, or turn it outward.

She chose outward. The couple had already expressed a wish to make Pré-de-Vert a foundation for 'indigents et délicats'—poor and delicate children—in Claudi's memory. When Marguerite died in 1924, the property passed to the Fondation Claudi Russell-Eynard, named for her son, her father, and her husband. That decision turned private grief into a century of care.

The Chalet That Traveled

In 1896 the Swiss National Exhibition in Geneva built a 'village suisse'—a purpose-built collection of traditional chalets performing Swissness for visitors. When the fair closed, Edmond Eynard bought one and had it dismantled, moved, and reassembled at Pré-de-Vert. The building had been a stage set for national identity; on the estate it became an actual home. The institution's history confirms the transport, but records don't say which chalet, where it was placed, or what it is used for today.

From Sanatorium to Special Needs

The first children to arrive at Pré-de-Vert were tubercular, the era's great killer shaping sanatorium culture across Switzerland. After the wars, the foundation pivoted to social cases. Then in 1962 it added an adapted schooling structure, shifting from housing children to educating them. Since 2005 it has operated inside the Canton of Vaud's child-protection framework, serving over a hundred children as residents and day students. The institution's president, Katia Isaac, is the great-niece of Marguerite—the Eynard family still keeps a hand on the tiller.

Tips for visitors

  • No child photos

    The tree-lined facade is fair game from the pavement, but this is a live children's home. Keep cameras pointed at trees and gates, never at children, staff, or the residential blocks; close-up shots of the institution's windows are a privacy violation.

  • Eat in Rolle, not here

    There's no café on the estate. Walk ten minutes into town for Boulangerie Shatri on the Grand-Rue — its sandwiches are a local institution (budget, CHF 7–12). For perch fillets from the lake, look along Quai Jules-Dufour (mid-range, CHF 28–45).

  • Golden hour at the gate

    The western entrance catches low afternoon light, turning the plane trees amber before the sun drops behind the Jura. Avoid 8:00–9:00 and 16:00–17:00 on weekdays, when foundation staff and service vehicles use the access road.

  • Pair it with the castle

    Pré-de-Vers is the green prelude to Rolle's old-money lakefront. Walk 10–15 minutes east to Rolle Castle and the port, then continue to Île de la Harpe for the full loop.

  • Fast road, no crossing

    The Route de Genève is a high-speed lake road, and the driveway entrance has no pedestrian island. Cross only at the marked crossing further east near Rue du Port, or stick to the west side if walking from Geneva direction.

  • Private lawn, not a park

    Despite the green name, Pré-de-Vers is not a public picnic ground. The lawns behind the gate belong to the foundation; resting or snacking on the grass can disturb residents, so keep to the pavement.

Frequently asked

Is Pré-de-Vert worth visiting?

No, not as a visitor attraction—it's a private children's foundation on a 13-hectare estate, and you can't enter the grounds. What's worth doing is standing at its edge on the Route de Genève and understanding what happened here: Claudi Russell died in 1917, and his mother turned the family home into a refuge for vulnerable children. Pair that with the public lakefront at Rolle Castle, and you get the real shape of this town.

Can you visit Pré-de-Vert for free?

There's no ticket, no opening hours, and no public access. The Fondation Claudi Russell-Eynard runs a working socio-educational institution here, so you can only see the estate's trees and 19th-century silhouette from the road. Don't expect a visitor centre or gatehouse.

How long do you need at Pré-de-Vert?

Five to ten minutes is enough to pause at the western entrance and take in the 13 hectares of parkland from the roadside. If you're exploring Rolle properly, give the lakeside promenade and Rolle Castle an hour or two. Pré-de-Vert is a stop on the edge, not a destination.

How do I get to Pré-de-Vert from Geneva?

Take an SBB regional train from Geneva to Rolle station, about 30 minutes, then walk roughly ten minutes uphill from the lake toward the Route de Genève. By car, leave the A1 at the Rolle exit and look for the green sweep of trees marking the estate's western side.

What is the best time to visit Pré-de-Vert?

Autumn, when the old trees along the western entrance to Rolle turn gold, gives you the best roadside view. Spring works too, especially after rain when the artificial pond Edmond Eynard created in the 1880s glints through the leaves. Summer brings lake crowds but easier, brighter days.

What should I not miss at Pré-de-Vert?

The chalet hauled here from the 1896 Geneva National Exhibition—Edmond Eynard had it transported from the Swiss Village after the fair closed. You probably won't spot it from the road, but knowing it sits somewhere on those 13 hectares changes how you read the place. Hold onto the 1917 tragedy too: a mother's grief built this institution.

What is the history of Pré-de-Vert?

It's the story of a family tragedy turned into a children's charity. Originally called Pré-de-Vers, the estate was acquired by Edmond Eynard in 1885, inherited by Marguerite Russell-Eynard in 1913, and then bequeathed in 1924 as a foundation after her son Claudi and husband Claude both died within a year. Since 2005 it has been part of Vaud's cantonal child-protection system.

Sources & attribution 14

Researched and written by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise. Last reviewed August 2026.

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