Chaplin's World (Manoir De Ban)

Chaplin’s World occupies the estate where Charlie Chaplin spent the last quarter-century of his life. The house, the Manoir de Ban, stands on a hillside in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, above Lake Geneva and a short distance from the town of Vevey. Chaplin moved here in 1953, after he left the United States, where his re-entry permit was revoked while he was travelling to Europe, and he lived in the manor with his wife Oona and their large family until he died on Christmas Day 1977. He is buried in the village cemetery of Corsier. The museum opened in 2016 and was created to preserve the house and the memory of its most famous resident.

The visit has two main parts, the manor and the studio. In the manor, the rooms have been restored and arranged to show how the family lived, with furniture, books, photographs and personal objects that give a picture of a home life that was far removed from Hollywood. The tour includes the library and the study, and from the terrace you can see the garden and the view toward the lake and the Alps. The idea is to show Chaplin the husband, father and thinker as well as Chaplin the performer, and the rooms are laid out with that in mind.

The studio is a modern building in the grounds where the story of his career is told through film sets, scenes and multimedia. Life-size figures and recreated settings take visitors into his best-known works, among them The Kid, in which he played the Tramp alongside a young Jackie Coogan, and The Great Dictator, his 1940 satire of Hitler and fascism. Film clips, costume pieces and set reconstructions show how silent comedy was made and how Chaplin developed his character, from the early Mutual and Keystone shorts to the great features. The exhibition also touches on the political difficulties of his career, his years of exile and his long-term commitment to filmmaking.

The park around the manor is large and carefully kept, with lawns, old trees and views, and it makes a pleasant place to walk before or after the tour. A café and shop are on site. Because the museum is popular, tickets are usually bought in advance, and opening times and prices vary by season, so check the official website for current details. The estate is easy to reach from Vevey by bus, and a statue of Chaplin stands on the lakefront in Vevey, which makes a natural pairing for a day in the town.

The museum suits film fans, families, and anyone curious about twentieth-century popular culture. You do not need to know his films well to enjoy it, since the exhibition explains the background clearly. Allow two to three hours.