Everything about Canton Of Neuch Tel totally explained
Neuchâtel (; ) is a
canton of western
Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,640. The
capital is
Neuchâtel.
Geography
The canton of Neuchâtel is located in the west of
Switzerland. To its northeast it borders the
canton of Bern, to the northwest
France. The
Lake Neuchâtel lies southeast of the canton, while the canton of
Vaud is southwest of the canton of Neuchâtel. The canton lies in the central area of the
Jura Mountains. Lake Neuchâtel drains the lands in the south, whilst the
River Doubs drains the northern areas.
The canton is commonly divided into three regions. The
viticultural region is located along the lake. Its name derives from the many vineyards found there. The region called
Les Vallées lies further north. The two largest valleys of the canton of Neuchâtel lie in this region: the
Ruz Valley and the
Val de Travers. Both valley lie at about 700 m. The highest region of the canton, however, is the
Neuchâtelois Mountains at 900 m to 1065 m. This region is made up of a long valley home to
La Chaux-de-Fonds,
Le Locle and
La Brévine.
History
The name of the canton goes back to the Roman designation of
Novum Castellum (new castle).
Rudolph III of Burgundy mentioned Neuchâtel in his will in 1032. The dynasty of Count
Ulrich von Fenis took over the town and its territories in 1034. The dynasty prospered and by 1373 all the lands now part of the
canton belonged to the count. In 1405, the cities of
Berne and Neuchâtel entered a union. The lands of Neuchâtel passed to the lords of
Freiburg about a century later, and then in 1504 to the
French house of Orléans-Longueville.
The French preacher
Guillaume Farel brought the teachings of the
Protestant Reformation to the area in 1530. When the house of Orléans-Longueville became extinct in 1707, the lands of Neuchâtel went to King
Frederick I of Prussia. The
Kingdom of Prussia governed the Principality of Neuchâtel until 1848, with the exception of the period between 1806 and 1814 when the lands went as a sovereign principality to
Napoleon Bonaparte's chief of staff,
Louis Alexandre Berthier.
During the Prussian time, some families of Neuchâtel were engaged in
slave labor. David de Pury was a Hoffactor for the Portuguese Monarch. Jean-Pierre de Pury, who founded
Purrysburg, South Carolina, owned and traded with slaves.
Jacques Louis Poutales became a slave owner in
Grenada.
Pierre Alexandre DuPeyrou became a slave owner in the
Dutch colony
Surinam.
Charles Daniel de Meuron became a slave owner in
South Africa. Other slave owners and producers of
tobacco were from the Neuchâtel family Coulon. The activities of these families made Neuchâtel rich. Members of the slave owner families tried to keep Neuchâtel Prussian, when it became part of Switzerland.
Louis Agassiz was from the canton as well.
In 1815, the canton of Neuchâtel became part of the Swiss Confederation as a full member. For the first time, the Swiss admitted a canton that didn't have a republican administration. This situation changed in 1848 when a peaceful revolution took place and established a republic. King
Frederick William IV of Prussia didn't give in immediately and several attempts at counter-revolution took place. In 1857, Frederick William renounced his claims on the area.
Economy
The canton is well-known for its wines, which are grown along the
Lake Neuchâtel. There are
dairy farming and cattle breeding in the valleys, but it's for the breeding of horses that Neuchâtel has a fine reputation.
Watchmaking is well established in the canton, with fine mechanics and
microchip production being established more recently.
Demographics
The population is almost entirely
French- and
Arpitan-speaking. About two-thirds are
Protestant and about one-third
Roman Catholic.
Districts
Municipalities
The following is a list of
municipalities (
communes) by district.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Canton Of Neuch Tel'.
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