Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel (UK: /ˌnɜːʃæˈtɛl/, US: /-ʃɑːˈ-, ˌnjuːʃəˈ-, ˌnʊʃɑːˈ-/, French: [nøʃɑtɛl] ⓘ; German: Neuenburg) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel. Since the fusion in 2021 of the municipalities of Neuchâtel, Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux, and Valangin, the city has approximately 33,000 inhabitants (80,000 in the metropolitan area). The city is sometimes referred to historically by the German name Neuenburg; both the French and German names mean "New Castle".
Neuchâtel | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
Location of Neuchâtel | |
Neuchâtel Neuchâtel | |
| Coordinates: 47°0′N 6°56′E | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Neuchâtel |
| Government | |
| • Executive | Conseil communal with 5 members |
| • Mayor | Le Président du Conseil communal (list) Fabio Bongiovanni FDP/PRD/PLR (as of January 2017) |
| • Parliament | Conseil général with 41 members |
| Area | |
| • Total | 18.05 km2 (6.97 sq mi) |
| Elevation (railway station) | 479 m (1,572 ft) |
| Highest elevation (Grand Chaumont) | 1,177 m (3,862 ft) |
| Lowest elevation (Port) | 434 m (1,424 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2018) | |
| • Total | 33,475 |
| • Density | 1,900/km2 (4,800/sq mi) |
| Demonym | French: Neuchâtelois(e) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time) |
| Postal code(s) | 2000 |
| SFOS number | 6458 |
| Localities | La Coudre, Serrières, Pierre-à-Bot, Gorges du Seyon, Chaumont, Petit Chaumont, Grand Chaumont, Peseux, Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Valangin |
| Surrounded by | Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier |
| Twin towns | Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (France), Sansepolcro (Italy) |
| Website | neuchatelville SFSO statistics |
The castle after which the city is named was built by Rudolph III of Burgundy and completed in 1011. Originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy, the city was absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire in 1033. The domain of the counts of Neuchatel was first referred to as a city in 1214. The city came under Prussian control from 1707 until 1848, with an interruption during the Napoleonic Wars from 1806 to 1814. In 1848, Neuchâtel became a republic and a canton of Switzerland.
Neuchâtel is a centre of the Swiss watch industry, the site of micro-technology and high-tech industries, and home to research centres and organizations such as the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), and Philip Morris International's Cube.