Cortaillod facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cortaillod
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Vineyards outside Cortaillod village
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 Cortaillod
Location in Switzerland
Cortaillod
Location in Canton of Neuchâtel
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Neuchâtel | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 3.68 km2 (1.42 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 484 m (1,588 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 4,697 | |
| • Density | 1,276.4/km2 (3,306/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
2016
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| Surrounded by | Bevaix, Boudry, Colombier | |
| Twin towns | Maienfeld (Switzerland) | |
Cortaillod is a town in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It's known for its long history, especially for discoveries from ancient times.
A very old culture from the Stone Age, called the Cortaillod culture, was named after this town. This is because four ancient villages from that time were found here!
Contents
History of Cortaillod
Cortaillod was first mentioned in official records in the year 1311. Back then, it was called Cortaillot.
Ancient Villages: Neolithic Times
The Neolithic period, also known as the New Stone Age, was a time when people started farming and building settled villages. The Cortaillod culture is a name given to a group of people who lived in Switzerland and nearby areas during this time.
Along the shore of Lake Neuchâtel near Cortaillod, archaeologists have found four Neolithic village sites. These sites were once underwater but became visible when the lake's water level dropped.
One of the most important sites is Petit-Cortaillod. It's quite large, about 300 meters (984 feet) long and 60 meters (197 feet) wide. Many interesting tools and items were found here, including thousands of flint tools and bone awls. They also found about 3,000 ax handles and 2,000 smaller axes!
Bronze Age Settlements
Later, during the Late Bronze Age (around 1250-800 BC), more villages were built along the lake. Archaeologists found many bronze items from this period. One amazing discovery was a wheel spoke made of bronze and oak wood, about 51 centimeters (20 inches) across.
Other finds included bronze axes, sickles, needles, and even swords. Hundreds of pottery vases were also discovered. There were also strange crescent-shaped clay objects, about 30 centimeters (12 inches) long, which some think might represent constellations (groups of stars).
One settlement, Cortaillod-Est, was explored by divers. They used a method called dendrochronology (studying tree rings) to figure out that people lived there between 1010 and 955 BC. At its biggest, this village had eight rows of houses, totaling 22 homes! It was even surrounded by a fence.
Another village, Cortaillod Les Esserts, was protected by a 120-meter (394-foot) long, three-layer wooden fence. It was inhabited between 870 and 850 BC and was quite large, covering an area of about 15,000 to 18,000 square meters (3.7 to 4.4 acres).
During the building of the A1 motorway in the 1990s, more Bronze Age discoveries were made. These included ancient graves with pottery and cremated bones. They also found traces of a settlement with post holes (where wooden posts once stood), pits, and hearths (fireplaces).
Cortaillod in Medieval Times
During the Middle Ages, owning land in Cortaillod was a bit complicated. Different lords and religious groups had rights over parts of the village. For example, some people living there were under the Lord of Gorgier, while others were subjects of a priory (a type of monastery) in Bevaix.
The villagers had some rights, like owning their own pastures (areas for grazing animals). In 1499, they were even allowed to farm the sandy shoreline. Eventually, in 1564, Cortaillod was sold to the Count of Neuchâtel and became part of the County of Neuchâtel.
Modern Cortaillod
From the 15th to the 19th centuries, there were often disagreements between Cortaillod and the nearby town of Boudry. These arguments were usually about sharing common pastures and forests, and about a special tax that Cortaillod residents had to pay, which only benefited Boudry. This tax was finally stopped in 1813.
In 1503, the villagers were allowed to build a chapel, which was named the Chapel of St. Nicholas. Cortaillod became an important religious center when it accepted the Protestant Reformation in 1537, becoming an independent parish (a church district).
Industries started to grow in Cortaillod. The first weaving mill opened in 1731. A more famous mill, the Fabrique-Neuve de Cortaillod, opened in 1752 and operated for over 100 years. Later, a company called Câbles Cortaillod, which made cables, took over the building and became a very important local business.
From 1855 to 1885, there was also a watch factory in Cortaillod. In 1992, a big technology company, Silicon Graphics, opened a center here, employing about 300 people, though it closed in 2001.
Today, Viticulture (grape growing and wine making) is still a very important part of Cortaillod's economy. The wines from Cortaillod are known for being very good!
Geography
Cortaillod covers an area of about 3.7 square kilometers (1.4 square miles). Almost half of this land (46.9%) is used for farming. About 11.4% is covered by forests, and 40.1% is settled with buildings and roads. A small part (0.5%) is rivers or lakes.
The town is located on a hillside that slopes down steeply towards Lake Neuchâtel. It includes the main village of Cortaillod, a residential area by the lake called Petit Cortaillod harbor, and a large forest on the Boudry hills.
There was a plan to combine Cortaillod with the nearby towns of Bevaix and Boudry, but the people living in Cortaillod voted against it.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms for Cortaillod is described as: a green shield with a silver cross that widens at the ends, and above it, a golden crescent moon that looks like it's growing.
People of Cortaillod (Demographics)
Cortaillod has a population of about 4,400 people. About 19% of the people living here are foreign nationals. Over the last ten years, the population has grown by about 3.9%.
Most people in Cortaillod (about 86.9%) speak French as their main language. German is the second most common language (3.9%), followed by Italian (2.8%).
In 2008, about 48.7% of the population was male and 51.3% was female. About 23.4% of the population are children and teenagers (0–19 years old). Adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.7%, and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.9%.
The number of people living in Cortaillod has changed over time, as shown in this chart:
Important Heritage Sites
Two places in Cortaillod are listed as very important national heritage sites in Switzerland: the old Fabrique Neuve mill and the prehistoric lake shore settlement of Le Petit Cortaillod. The entire village of Cortaillod is also part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites, meaning it's a place with special historical value.
Economy
In 2010, Cortaillod had an unemployment rate of 4.7%. This means that 4.7% of people who wanted to work couldn't find a job.
Many people in Cortaillod work in different types of jobs:
- Primary sector: This includes jobs like farming and forestry. About 33 people work in this area.
- Secondary sector: This includes manufacturing (making things in factories) and construction. About 858 people work in this sector. A large number of these jobs are in manufacturing, like making cables.
- Tertiary sector: This includes service jobs, like working in shops, restaurants, transportation, or healthcare. About 662 people work in this sector.
Many people who live in Cortaillod also travel to other towns for work. About 15.3% of the working population uses public transportation to get to work, while 63.6% use a private car.
Religion
Based on a 2000 survey, about 31.2% of the people in Cortaillod were Roman Catholic. Another 36.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, which is a Protestant church. There were also smaller numbers of people who belonged to other Christian churches, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, or no religion at all.
Education
In Cortaillod, many people have completed a good level of education. About 38.2% of the population has finished non-mandatory high school, and 13.9% have gone on to higher education, like university.
In the canton of Neuchâtel, where Cortaillod is located, most towns offer two years of optional kindergarten. After that, children have five years of required primary school. Then, for the next four years of required secondary education, students usually travel to larger schools in other towns.
During the 2010–11 school year, Cortaillod had 5 kindergarten classes with 94 students and 12 primary classes with 236 students.
Wine
The type of red wine called Pinot noir that comes from this area is often bottled and sold under the Cortaillod name. It's a well-known local product.
Images for kids
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La Fabrique Neuve, an important historical building.
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A goblet made from deer antler, found in Cortaillod.
See also
In Spanish: Cortaillod para niños
