Neuchâtel, which means "new castle" in French, is a town of 32,000 people in western Switzerland. Although this may not seem like many people, it is actually a fairly large city by Swiss standards. In fact, it is the largest town in the region and is the capital of the canton of the same name. A canton is comparable to a U.S. state in its relationship to the federal government, but in terms of size it is comparable to a county.
The town was founded in 1011 by Rudolph III of Burgundy when he built a castle there for his wife. Over time, the city grew up around the castle and developed into a burgeoning town. In 1530, the town broke away and became its own principality, nestled between France and the Swiss confederation. It stayed a principality until 1848, when the republic of Neuchâtel was declared. In 1814, the city joined the Swiss Confederation, where it remains to this day.
The town is part of the quarter of the Swiss population that speaks French. Although it is just minutes away from German speaking sections of Switzerland, almost all signs are in French and the population speaks almost exclusively French. Although the people there are proud to be Swiss, they are also proud of the French culture. My grandmother’s cousin, for example, refuses to speak German unless he absolutely has to (i.e. when he was President of the Swiss Parliament).
Nestled on a hill, the town overlooks the lake of Neuchâtel. It is a very picturesque city, with a rather extensive “old town”. Numerous buildings date from the Middle Ages and Renaissance and most buildings have an interesting history. My family’s ancestral estate, for example, dates back from the Renaissance and was the former abode of Louis Alexandre Berthier, Napoleon’s Marshal of France. The town has a university there, founded in 1838. Both my grandparents attended the university there, thus giving it special interest to me.
The town as a whole is quite interesting. I highly recommend visiting it, especially since you all will know some French. It is one of the most pristine, clean, and beautiful places that one can visit.
