Neuchâtel - Reference Center

Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Neuchâtel

Neuchâtelnöshätĕl', Ger. Neuenburg, canton (1993 pop. 162,600), 309 sq mi (800 sq km), NW Switzerland, in the Jura Mts. It is a forested region with pastures. Cattle are raised, and cheese and wine are produced. Watches, mainly manufactured at Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds, have been an important industrial product since the 18th cent. There are rich asphalt deposits at Val de Travers and an oil refinery at Cressier. The population is mainly French-speaking and Protestant. A part of Burgundy by the 10th cent., Neuchâtel was later governed by counts under the Holy Roman Empire. The county passed (1504) to the French house of Orléans-Longueville and in 1648 became independent. In 1707 it chose Frederick I of Prussia as its prince. It remained an autonomous principality, although in 1815 it became a canton of the Swiss Confederation, with which it had been allied since the 15th cent. In 1848 a revolution abolished the monarchy within Neuchâtel, and in 1857, after some complications, the king of Prussia renounced his claim to the canton. Its capital, Neuchâtel (1993 pop. 31,700), has industries that produce watches, tobacco, paper, and chocolate; it is home to a significant wine market. The town still retains a medieval aspect with its numerous statues, fountains, and old structures. It has an old church (12th–13th cent.), a castle (12th–17th cent.), and a noted university (founded 1838). The town is on the northern shore of the Lake of Neuchâtel, 24 mi (39 km) long and 4 to 5 mi (6.4–8 km) wide, which borders on the cantons of Neuchâtel, Bern, Fribourg, and Vaud. The lake is surrounded by valuable vineyards and picturesque settlements. There are many remains of lake dwellings (see La Tène).

Wikipedia search results for: Neuchâtel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Neuchâtel is the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel. The city has approximately 32,600 inhabitants, by and large French-speaking, although the city is sometimes referred to historically by the German name, which has the same meaning, since Prussia ruled the area until 1848. Neuchâtel is a pilot city of the Council of Europe and the European Commission Intercultural cities programme. The city is located on the northwestern shore of the Lake of Neuchâtel, a few kilometers east of Peseux and west of Saint-Blaise. Above Neuchâtel, roads and train tracks rise steeply into the folds and ridges of the Jura range – known within...more »

Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Neuchâtel

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Chaux-de-Fonds, La
Chaux-de-Fonds, La, city (1990 pop. 36,894), Neuchâtel canton, NW Switzerland, in the Jura Mts., near the French border. It is one of the largest watch-manufacturing centers in Switzerland.
Locle, Le
Locle, Le, town (1990 pop. 11,313), Neuchâtel canton, NW Switzerland, in the Jura Mts. near the French border. It has been a watchmaking center since the 17th cent.
Yverdon-les-Bains
Yverdon-les-Bains, Ger. Iferten, town (1990 pop. 22,758), Vaud canton, W Switzerland, at the south end of the Lake of Neuchâtel. It is an old spa with Roman ruins. Machinery, precision instrum...
Grandson
Grandson, Ger. Grandsee, town (1990 pop. 2,473), Vaud canton, W Switzerland, at the southwestern end of the Lake of Neuchâtel. An important town in the Middle Ages, Grandson is known chiefly a...
Jura, mountain range, France and Switzerland
Jura, mountain range, part of the Alpine system, E France and NW Switzerland, occupying parts of the French region of Franche-Comté and the Swiss cantons of Vaud, Neuchâtel, Bern, Solothurn, a...
Agassiz, Alexander
Agassiz, Alexander, 1835–1910, American naturalist and industrialist, b. Neuchâtel, Switzerland; son of Louis Agassiz, stepson of Elizabeth Cary Agassiz. He came to the United States in 1849 a...
La Tène
La Tène, ancient Celtic site on Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland, that gives its name to the second and final period of the European Iron Age. It is characterized by an art style that drew upon Gre...
Vaud
Vaud, Ger. Waadt, canton (1993 pop. 593,000), 1,239 sq mi (3,209 sq km), W Switzerland. Lausanne is the capital. Bordering on France in the west, it lies roughly between the Lake of Geneva, th...
Haldimand, Sir Frederick
Haldimand, Sir Frederick, 1718–91, British general and colonial governor of Quebec, b. Neuchâtel canton, Switzerland. A soldier of fortune in several European armies before joining (1756) the ...
Piaget, Jean
Piaget, Jean, 1896–1980, Swiss psychologist, known for his research in developmental psychology. After receiving a degree in zoology from the Univ. of Neuchâtel (1918), Piaget's interests shif...

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