Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Crassy Castle, formerly known as Crassier, is a 19th-century building located in the hamlet of Vesenex-Crassy in Divonne-les-Bains (Ain). Built by the Prez family, native to Switzerland, it rises in the heart of a vast 63-hectare estate crossed by the Boiron River. This estate includes agricultural plots, a farm, greenhouses, an orangery and a pond, reflecting a residential and agricultural architecture typical of the large properties of the period.

The Prez family, settled in the Land of Gex from the 17th century, owned the castle until 1874. Urban de Prez became lord in 1630, and his descendants, including General Jean Étienne Philibert de Prez de Crassier (born in 1733), lived there until his sale by Baron Edouard de Prez. The latter, the grand-nephew of the general, gave the estate to Alfred André, a Parisian banker and deputy, thus marking the beginning of a new era for the castle.

The castle changed hands several times in the 20th century: d-Alfred André (1874-1893) to his widow Alice-Marie-Alphonsine Joly, then to Isabelle Monnier and his descendants (Schlumberger family, then Sihol). In 2001, it was acquired by the Al-Muhaisen family, from Saudi Arabia, after a sale of 21 million francs. The estate, characterized by its 1,875 m2, 21 rooms, round towers and winter garden, embodies a rich architectural and historical heritage.

Among the personalities who stayed at the castle were Gustave Schlumberger, historian of the Crusades and Byzantium, and Gerard Jakob de Geer in 1932. These visits demonstrate the cultural and intellectual appeal of the place. Today, the castle is again on sale in 2024, perpetuating its turbulent history between family heritage and property transitions.

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