Neuchâtel

Located in western Switzerland between the Swiss Jura and Lake Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel is the capital of the French-speaking canton Neuchâtel. Between 1707 and 1848, the county of Neuchâtel, whose origins, together with the fortress with the same, lie in the time of High Burgundy (888 to 1032), belonged to Prussia. A specialty of this area is the wine.

Neuchâtel is the birthplace of the brilliant watchmaker and inventor Abraham-Louis Breguet and home of the Observatory of Neuchâtel. It is also residence of the famous holding Ebauches SA as well as of the prestigious international watchmaking school WOSTEP. Also today's holding Bulgari is based in Neuchâtel. Other local residents are the brands Rodolphe and Hautlence (the name “Hautlence” is an anagram of “Neuchatel”).

The canton of Neuchâtel includes, inter alia, the known watch city La Chaux-de-Fonds, which is located in the middle of the Jura region, and Le Locle, which is also famous because of watchmaking.

• Ferdinand Berthoud was born 1727 in Neuchâtel.
• Abraham-Louis Breguet was born in Neuchâtel in 1747.
• Matthäus Hipp worked in Neuchâtel from 1852.
• Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721-1790) and Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz (1752-1791), clockmaker, maker of clocks and automata (3 androids the writer, the musician and the draftsman, in the historical crafts museum of Neuchâtel) , born in Villeret or La Chaux-de-Fonds.
• Daniel Jean Richard (1664-1741), watchmaker, father of the Neuchâtel watchmaking, born in La Sagne.

• Official website of Neuchâtel (only in French)