TheRepublic and Canton of Neuchâtel[4] is a mostly French-speakingcanton in westernSwitzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,780.[5] Thecapital isNeuchâtel.
Neuchâtel has a unique history as the only part of present-daySwitzerland to enter the Confederation as a principality (on 19 May 1815).[citation needed]
Its first recorded ruler,Rudolph III of Burgundy, mentioned Neuchâtel in his will in 1032. The dynasty of Ulrich count ofFenis (Hasenburg) took over the town and its territories in 1034. The dynasty prospered and, by 1373, all the lands now part of thecanton belonged to the count. In 1405, the cities ofBern and Neuchâtel entered a union. The lands of Neuchâtel had passed to theZähringen lords ofFreiburg in the late 14th century as inheritance from the childlessElisabeth, Countess of Neuchâtel, to her nephews, and then in 1458 to margraves ofSausenburg who belonged to theHouse of Baden.[citation needed]
The French preacherGuillaume Farel brought the teachings of theProtestant Reformation to the area in 1530. Therefore, when the house of Orléans-Longueville became extinct withMarie d'Orléans-Longueville's death in 1707, Neuchâtel was Protestant, and looked to avoid passing to a Catholic ruler. The rightful heiress in primogeniture from Jeanne de Hachberg wasPaule de Gondi, Duchess ofRetz, who was Catholic. The people of Neuchâtel chose Princess Marie's successor from among fifteen claimants.[n 1] They wanted their new prince first and foremost to be a Protestant, and also to be strong enough to protect their territory but based far enough away to leave them to their own devices. KingLouis XIV of France actively promoted the many French pretenders to the title, but the Neuchâtelois people in the final decision in 1708 passed them over in favour of the Protestant KingFrederick I of Prussia, who claimed his entitlement in a rather complicated fashion through theHouse of Orange and Nassau, who were not even descended from Jeanne de Hachberg.
Frederick I and his successors ruled the Principality of Neuchâtel (German:Fürstentum Neuenburg) inpersonal union withPrussia from 1708 until 1806 and again from 1814 until 1857.Napoleon Bonaparte deposed KingFrederick William III of Prussia as prince of Neuchâtel and appointed instead his chief of staffLouis Alexandre Berthier. Starting in 1807, the principality provided Napoleon'sGrande Armée with a battalion of rangers. The rangers were nicknamedCanaris (i.e.canaries) because of their yellow uniforms.
After theLiberation Wars the principality was restored to Frederick William III in 1814.[7]TheConseil d'État (state council, i.e. government of Neuchâtel) addressed him in May 1814 requesting the permission to establish a special battalion, aBataillon deChasseurs, for the service of his majesty.[7] Frederick William III then established by his "most-supremecabinet order" (Allerhöchste Cabinets-Ordre, A.C.O.), issued inParis on 19 May 1814, theBataillon des Tirailleurs de la Garde following the same principles as with the Neuchâtel battalion within the Grande Armée.[7] The Conseil d'Etat of Neuchâtel had the right of nomination for the battalion's officers. The commander was the battalion's only officer chosen by the monarch.
A year later he agreed to allow the principality to join theSwiss Confederation, then not yet an integratedfederation, but aconfederacy, as a full member. Thus Neuchâtel became the first and only monarchy to join the otherwise entirely republican Swiss cantons. This situation changed in 1848 when a peaceful revolution took place and established a republic, in the same year that the modern Swiss Confederation was transformed into a federation. KingFrederick William IV of Prussia did not cede immediately, and several attempts at counter-revolution took place, culminating in theNeuchâtel Crisis of 1856–57. In 1857, Frederick William finally renounced the monarchy's claim on the area.
The canton of Neuchâtel is located inRomandy, the French-speaking western part ofSwitzerland. It is also located in the Jura mountainous region. To its northeast it borders thecanton of Bern, to the northwestFrance (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté).Lake Neuchâtel lies southeast of the canton, while the canton ofVaud is southwest of the canton of Neuchâtel. The canton lies in the central area of theJura Mountains. Lake Neuchâtel drains the lands in the south, whilst the riverDoubs drains the northern areas.
The canton is commonly divided into three regions. Theviticultural region is located along the lake. Its name derives from the many vineyards found there. The region calledLes Vallées lies further north. The two largest valleys of the canton of Neuchâtel lie in this region: theRuz Valley and theVal de Travers. Both valleys lie at about 700 m (2,300 ft). The highest region of the canton, however, is theNeuchâtelois Mountains at 900 m (2,950 ft) to 1,065 m (3,494 ft). This region is made up of a long valley, home toLa Chaux-de-Fonds,Le Locle andLa Brévine.
Neuchâtel was one of the first cantons inSwitzerland to grant women the right to vote (1959) and also to grant the vote to foreigners holding a residence permit and who have been domiciled in the canton for at least five years (2002), as well as to lower the voting age to 18.
The legislature, theGrand Council of Neuchâtel, has 115 seats distributed in proportion to the population of the six districts that make up the electoral constituencies: Neuchâtel (35 seats), Boudry (25), Val-de-Travers (8), Val-de-Ruz (10), Le Locle (10), La Chaux-de-Fonds (27). The State Council (cantonal government), five "ministers" who assume the annual presidency in turn and manage the departments of justice, health and safety; finance and social welfare; public economy; regional management; education and culture. The cantonal authorities, which have their seat in the castle (the Château de Neuchâtel), are elected every four years by universal suffrage.
The people also elect their representatives to the federal parliament every four years: five of the 200 members of theNational Council (lower chamber) and two of the 46 members of theCouncil of States (upper chamber).
Until 2018 the Canton was divided into six districts. On 1 January 2018 the districts were dissolved and all municipalities were placed directly under the canton.[9]
The population is almost entirelyFrench-speaking. The canton has historically been stronglyProtestant, but in recent decades it has received an influx ofRoman Catholic arrivals, notably fromPortugal andItaly. In 2000, its population was closely split between Protestants (38%) and Roman Catholics (31%).[10]
The 175,894 inhabitants (as of 2020[update])[2] are fairly evenly distributed with many small towns and villages lining the shore of the Lake of Neuchâtel. The average population density is 209 inhabitants per square kilometre (540/sq mi). Neuchâtel (2020 population: 33,455) is the canton's capital while La Chaux-de-Fonds (2020 population: 36,915) is the canton's largest settlement. Some 38,000 of the inhabitants, or a little less than a quarter of the population, are of foreign origin.
The canton is well known for its wines, which are grown along theLake Neuchâtel shore, and for itsabsinthe. TheVal-de-Travers is famous as the birthplace of absinthe, which has now been re-legalized both in Switzerland and globally. There aredairy farming and cattle breeding in the valleys, but it is for the breeding of horses that Neuchâtel has a fine reputation.Watchmaking is well-established in the canton, with fine mechanics andmicrochip production being established more recently. Higher educational institutions includeHaute école Arc (representing Bern, Jura and Neuchâtel) and theUniversity of Neuchâtel.
