The history of the city is preserved in this house, the oldest in Geneva. Built in 1303, it remained residential until 1963. Of course, it was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded, and when it finally passed into city ownership, it was restored with such thoroughness and reverence for its history that now any visitor to this museum of old Switzerland can imagine and even touch its artifacts.
In addition to a model of Geneva as it was in 1850, the collection contains exhibits from the life of the city, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. These are household items, toys, paintings, even a collection of doors - everything that was made by the hands of ordinary townspeople.
Needleworkers will be interested in looking at embroidered pictures and works in the now-fashionable decoupage technique, created by medieval Genevan craftswomen. It is no less fascinating to walk through the same corridors and staircases once frequented by the Russian empress Anna Fyodorovna. While in Switzerland, the distinguished lady lived quite modestly, renting only 12 rooms in Maison Tavel.
Each generation of inhabitants of this famous mansion left its mark, reflected both in the exterior appearance of the house and in its interior decoration. Only the basement has remained unchanged, as an example of 13th-century architecture.
