Neuchâtel

Capital of Neuchâtel canton in northwest Switzerland, on the northwest shore of Lake Neuchâtel, 40 km/25 mi west of Berne; population (2000) 32,900. It has watch, chocolate, and wine industries.

It has a castle (begun in the 12th century), an abbey church dating from the 12th and 15th centuries (now Protestant), and an art museum. The town is an educational centre with a university established from an academy founded in 1838. There is a Horological Research Laboratory.

Neuchâtel

Canton in the west of Switzerland, between Lake Neuchâtel and the French frontier; area 797 sq km/308 sq mi; population (1999 est) 165,600. Neuchâtel lies in the midst of the Jura Mountains, four ranges of which traverse the canton, running northeast–southwest. The speciality of the canton is watchmaking; the chief centres of this industry are La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle. Neuchâtel joined the Swiss Confederation in 1815.

The natural resources of Neuchâtel include iron ore, asphalt (in the Val de Travers), fruit, timber, and corn. Cattle-rearing and cheese manufacture are important occupations, and the vineyards surrounding Lake Neuchâtel produce both red and white wines. The lake itself is 40 km/25 mi long and 8 km/5 mi wide at its broadest point, and has a maximum depth of 153 m/502 ft. The canton is mainly French-speaking and Protestant.