Neuchâtel (German Neuenburg), capital of the canton of the same name, lies on the north shore of the Lac de Neuchâtel (Neuenburger See), below the Jura mountains. It is the seat of a University and has a Commercial College and the Swiss Watchmaking Research Laboratory. The public buildings are mainly on the shores of the lake around the harbor; the residential districts, with their houses of yellow Jurassic limestone, rise above the lake on the foothills of the Chaumont, surrounded by parks.
The town first appears in the records in 1011 under the name of Novum Castellum, and in the course of the 11th C. it became part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Thereafter it changed hands several times. The Counts of Neuchâtel gave place to the Counts of Freiburg im Breisgau, who in turn were succeeded by the Counts of Hochberg. From 1504 to 1707 the town belonged to the Dukes of Orléans-Longueville, and then passed to the Crown of Prussia. In 1848 a federal and republican constitution came into force, and in 1875 King William IV of Prussia renounced his claim to Neuchâtel. During the 18th C. the town developed into a commercial and industrial center (watch-making, fabric printing) and in 1815 it became the cantonal capital.
From Rue de l'Ecluse, on the edge of Neuchâtel's old town, a funicular ascends to the Cret du Plan (598 m/1,962ft), from which there are extensive views of the lake and the Alps.
In the very dark Romanesque choir of Neuchâtel's Collegiate Church is the monument of the Counts of Neuchâtel (1372). It has 15 painted effigies and is the finest Gothic memorial in the whole of Switzerland.
Motorboats ply between Neuchâtel and the other towns along Lake Neuchâtel. The trip around the three lakes (Lac de neuchâtel, Bieler See and Murtensee) is highly recommended.
From Rue de Château a stepped lane and a street lead up to the château, which belonged to the Counts and Princes of Neuchâtel and is now occupied by cantonal government offices. The west wing dates from the 12th C., the remainder from the 15th to the 17th C.; the interior has undergone much alteration.
Neuchâtel's Collegiate church was built in the 12th-13th C. (west towers 1867-75). Until 1530, when it was taken over by the Reformed faith, it was the Catholic Collégiale Notre-Dame.
On the north side of the church is a Romanesque cloister (restored). Outside the west front of the church stands a statue of the Reformer Guillaume Farel (1489-1565); from the terrace there are extensive views.
On the long quays which extend on either side of Neuchâtel's harbor are a series of fine late 19th C. buildings. In Place du Port is the Post Office and in Place Nume Droz (to the south) the Collège Latin (1835), with the Municipal Library.
This annual three-day festival takes place in late September and includes a street parade, food stalls and processions of residents in traditional costumes.
The shipping company of Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Morat operate principally on Lake Neuchâtel; numerous round trips are organized however, on Lake Morat and Lake Bienne.
Address: Société de Navigation sur les Lacs de Neuchâtel et Morat SA, Port CP 2001, CH-1460 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Collections of the art and history of the Neuchâtel region, including works by artists: Giacometti; Corot; Bonnard; Degas; Marquet; Pissarro; Renoir; and Sisley. The museum offers ceramic, toy, gold and furniture exhibits. Complete French Revolutionary weapons and uniforms plus the famous automatons of Jaquet-Droz and Leschot can be seen. Seasonal harpsichord demonstrations are available.
5km/3mi northeast of Neuchâtel, in La Coudre, is a funicular to the summit of Chaumont (1,177 m/3,862ft), which can also be reached on a steep road from Neuchâtel. From the top there are far-ranging views of the Mittelland with its lakes, and a panorama of the Alps from Saints to Mont Blanc.
Papiliorama is home to butterflies and tropical birds in a natural environment plus a simulated nocturnal environment, and those mammals attuned to it.
From Boudry the road leads, with beautiful views, to Bevaix (476 m/1,562ft), which has a Gothic church and a 1722 mansion house. Gorgier (518 m/1,700ft) has a castle of the 14th and 16th C., restored in Romantic style in the 19th C. (view).
Boudry (470 m/1,542ft; pop. 3,000) is a picturesque little town at the mouth of the Gorges de l'Areuse with a 16th C. castle which houses a museum of viticulture (opening times given). Boudry was the birthplace of the French politician Jean-Paul Marat (1743-93) and of Philippe Suchard.
Address: Boudry Castle, Société du musée de la vigne et du vin c/o Office du Tourisme, Neuchâtel, CH-2017 Boudry, Switzerland
Colombier (alt. 460 m/ 1,509ft; pop. 4,000) has a massive castle, built in the 12th C. on Roman foundations and rebuilt and enlarged in the 14th and 16th C. From 1754 it was occasionally used as a residence by the Prussian governor of Neuchâtel. It now contains a military museum and a collection of pictures.
Address: Musée Militaire et des toiles peintes, Château de Colombier, Box 28, CH-2013 Colombier, Switzerland
Hours:
March 1 to October 31: 2pm-3:30pm; Closed: Sun, Mon, Sat
Tips: Also open the first Sunday of each month from March to October.
Guided tours at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
St-Aubin (474 m/1,555ft) is the most important town in the district of La Béroche which lies on the slopes of the Montagne de Boudry with many picturesque villages and country houses.
Beyond this, to the right, stands the castle of Vaumarcus, and on the left the former Carthusian house of La Lance, with a beautiful Late Gothic cloister.
The road continues via Grandson to Yverdon, at the southwest end of the lake.
Valangin Castle was completed in the 13th century and added to on several occasions. The present structure was fully restored in 1772. The castle and museum at Valangin is furnished as it was in the 16th century.
Address: Valangin Château, Le Champey 26, CH-2057 Villiers, Switzerland
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Boudry - Areuse Museum
Collegiate Church, Neuchatel
Neuchatel
