The city of Neuchatel (translates into Newcastle) is first mentioned in 1011 in a deed by King Rudolf III of Burgundy to his wife Irmengard. In all probability it wasn’t much more than a moat guarded by a garrison, but the Royal connotation started the build up of a community. King Rudolf and Irmengard died childless and by deed of gift the Kingdom of Burgundy passed to Conrad II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations. At about the same time, the Counts of Neuchatel were created who ruled the city and countryside until the late 13th century.
The counts must have been an extraordinary set of rulers, one after the other. They are commemorated to this day by the Cenotaph in the La Collégiale church. In every legend, myth or story that refers to the counts of Neuchatel, they are called ‘the good counts of Neuchatel’. The last count died childless in 1288, and Emperor Rudolf I of Habsburg handed the county to the Count of Chalon.
What started out with a deed of gift to a queen continued as a story of inheritances. The county of Neuchatel passed from Chalon to the Counts of Freiburg, the Margraves of Baden, the Royal House of Orleans, and finally to the Prince-Electors of Brandenburg and Kings in Prussia. The county was made a principality under the Orleans family. As the last transfer to the Prussians was done under pressure from the Swiss Confederation against 14 other contenders for the inheritance, Neuchatel was declared an independent principality (i.e. not part of Prussia) on the insistence of Louis XIV of France.
As the Counts of Neuchatel had been gifted in administering the county, all families following them into the administration shared one common policy; they just confirmed the existing laws and administration and didn’t bother too much about any details. The Counts of Chalon concluded a treaty with the Swiss Confederation in 1306, leading to Neuchatel becoming a de facto part of the Swiss Confederation without being a member of it. This finally led to the curious situation of Neuchatel becoming a member of democratic Switzerland in 1848 while still being governed by the Prussian Kings as Princes.
To this day, a Swiss citizen is not addressed as citizen, but as ‘Miteidgenosse’ (translates to ‘fellow oath taker’). After the Prussians took over, the King of Prussia was forthwith addressed as ‘our fellow oath taker’ up to his formal abdication as Prince in 1857. But it needed the good services of Emperor Napoleon III of France to bring that about without Switzerland and Prussia going to war. Things came to a head as Neuchatel’s citizens had passed a Republican constitution on becoming part of Switzerland, but Royalist elements had tried to overthrow the new government and declare Neuchatel independent.
The Principality became part of France in 1795 for a short time as the Prussian ceded their rights to it to Napoleon. But the Vienna Congress of 1815 compounded the anachronism by designating it ‘a Canton of Switzerland and Prussian Principality’. When the Swiss Republics subsequently joined into the United States of Switzerland, the situation became nothing short of ridiculous.
Neuchatel is a French speaking town. By general consent, it is The French Speaking City, actually. Anybody who intends to learn properly spoken French in all its beauty is sent to Neuchatel to do so, as they speak it without a hint of accent, as opposed to French cities that all have their peculiarities and accents. Famous people associated with Neuchatel are writer Friedrich Durrenmatt, Prussian General Bernard de Gelieu, failed Hitler assassin Maurice Bavaud, and musician Robert Miles.
For further information on the city of Neuchatel you may want to go to the official homepage of the city government neuchatelville.ch.
Further reading
Assassinate Hitler: Maurice Bavaud
City on The Language Divide: Fribourg
Lausanne, World Capital of Sports
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