On November 7, the Besenval Palace in Solothurn experienced an exceptional moment with the official opening of the museum « Der Kleine Prinz und seine Welt » dedicated to the Little Prince through the collection of Jean-Marc Probst. The event took place in the presence of Olivier d’Agay, great-nephew of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and President of the Succession Saint-Exupéry d’Agay, accompanied by the Little Prince teams and the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation.
This new museum is built upon the remarkable collection gathered over more than forty years by the Jean-Marc Probst Foundation for the Little Prince, which brings together more than ten thousand books, objects, documents, and rare editions related to the literary masterpiece published in 1943. This collection, one of the most significant in the world, is now accessible to the public in a historic setting with a particularly successful scenography created by the Bâtisseurs de Mémoire.
The Little Prince is a universal phenomenon. Translated into more than six hundred languages and dialects, it is the most translated book after the Bible. “With The Little Prince, it is almost the entire world that settles in Solothurn,” the cantonal chancellery reminded when the project was announced.
Jean-Marc Probst, a passionate collector since 1980, has patiently brought together editions from all over the world. His foundation also enriches the legacy of the work by supporting new publications since 2013. This new cultural venue will continue to preserve and share the humanist message of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry through educational and interactive content designed for children as well as grown-ups.
Located on the banks of the Aare, the Besenval Palace, built in the early eighteenth century, opens a new chapter in its history as it becomes a space devoted to imagination, sharing, and encounters inspired by the Little Prince.
