Charlie Chaplin Museum to Open in Switzerland

Now this is one place that you should not miss, if you’re in Switzerland. In fact, if you’r a movie buff this is good enough reason for you to visit the Alps. A museum dedicated to the late Silent Film actor, the great Charlie Chaplin, who conquered the world with a smile, will be open to the public in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, on April 17.

The museum to be known as ‘Chaplin’s World’ is located in the Swiss village of Corsier-sur Vevey and will be partly housed in the star’s old manor (former home), which has been restored.

Born & raised in London, Chaplin lived at the Swiss manor for 25 years after he was banished from the US over suspicions about his Communist sympathies. He died in 1977 and is buried in a nearby cemetery.

Watch: Tomb of Charles Chaplin A Corsier-sur-Vevey (Switzerland)

The Museum site is located between Lake Geneva on one side and the mountains on the other. A new building has been especially constructed on the property’s garage to house a Hollywood studio that will showcase the legendary actor’s on-screen work. The museum will also have an outdoor area that will host cultural programs, including film screenings, as well as an art gallery for graphic artists.

The museum cost an estimated £40 million, and has the blessing of his children, Michael, Eugene and Victoria. The actor’s granddaughter Laura Chaplin said, “It was a dream house for growing up… we’ve waited a long time for this museum and now it’s finally taking off”.

Watch: Charlie Chaplin – Filmography Montage / Tribute

Grevin, the museum operator, described the attraction as ‘a path of discovery, both touching and amusing, of an artist who put burlesque on the map, revolutionised the Seventh Art and conquered the world through laughter and tears’.

The museum’s director Yves Durand said, “His soul, his spirit, is still here…so people will meet him, people will encounter him, people will hear his voice, will see his movies, will hear his music.”

Chaplin’s museum will open on 17 April – a day after what would have been charlie Chaplin’s 127th birthday.

Watch: A Message For All Of Humanity – Charlie Chaplin. Ironically, a comedian who has acted mostly in silent movies has also given one of the most inspirational final speeches in recorded history. Here’s Charlie Chaplin in ‘The Great Dictator’.

Also Read: Most popular Bollywood song in the world by Indian Charlie Chaplin – Raj Kapoor