La Neuveville facts for kids

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La Neuveville

Tour de Rive, Old City Gate

Coat of arms

La Neuveville

Location in Switzerland

La Neuveville

Location in Canton of Bern

Switzerland

Area

• Total

6.78 km² (2.62 sq mi)

Elevation

434 m (1,424 ft)

Population

(Dec 2020 )

• Total

3,780

• Density

557.5/km² (1,444.0/sq mi)

Postal code

2520

Localities

Chavannes

Surrounded by

Ligerz, Prêles, Lignières(NE), Le Landeron(NE)

La Neuveville is a charming town in Switzerland. It is located in the Jura bernois area of the canton of Bern. The town is in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, known as the Bernese Jura. It sits right on the beautiful Lake Biel. Even though it's a small town with about 3,400 people, it has the special legal status of a city. This is thanks to its old city rules from medieval times.

A Look Back: History of La Neuveville

La Neuveville was first mentioned in official papers in 1314. It was called Nova-villa back then.

Early Settlements and Churches

People have lived in this area for a very long time. We know this from old pottery from the Bronze Age. There are also building remains from the Iron Age. Even items from the Roman era were found under the White Church. Graves near the church show that a church has been there since the early Carolingian period. This church was mentioned in 866. King Lothair II gave it to Moutier-Grandval Abbey. The church has been rebuilt or made bigger at least twelve times. Its beautiful wall paintings are from the 1300s and 1400s.

Founding the Town

In 999, the Abbot of Moutier-Grandval Abbey gave his large lands around Lake Biel to the Prince-Bishop of Basel. This area was called Nugerol. For centuries, the Bishop of Basel and the Counts of Neuchâtel often argued over this land. To protect his claim, Prince-Bishop Henry von Isny built the Schlossberg Castle. This was between 1283 and 1288. It was built on the slopes of the Jura Mountains.

Around 1310, the next Prince-Bishop, Gérard de Vuippens, founded the town of La Neuveville. We don't know the exact founding date. But a town citizen was mentioned in 1310. The town's official rules, called its town charter, are from 1312. The new town helped push the borders of Neuchâtel County.

Growing Independence

Under the Prince-Bishops, La Neuveville was the main town of the Herrschaft (a type of territory). The town had a lot of freedom to govern itself. In 1367, a fight broke out between Prince-Bishop Johann von Vienne and the city of Bern. The Prince-Bishop ran to Schlossberg Castle. The Bernese army then surrounded La Neuveville and the castle. But the people of La Neuveville stood with their Prince-Bishop. They drove the Bernese army away.

Because of their loyalty, the Prince-Bishop gave the town more rights in 1368. The town could have its own military banner (flag). It could also call on people from Tessenberg and Erguel to join its army. This gave the town some military independence. In 1388, La Neuveville made a special agreement with Bern. This gave La Neuveville citizens the same rights as Bern citizens. In 1395, they made a similar agreement with the city of Biel.

Religious Changes

In 1529 and 1530, a French preacher named William Farel helped spread the Protestant Reformation in La Neuveville. This new Christian faith became popular there. Even though the town was owned by Catholic Prince-Bishops, it stayed Protestant. In the 1600s, it became a safe place for Huguenot refugees from France. These were Protestants who had to flee their homes. A new Catholic church was built in 1954 for the town's Catholic people.

French Influence and Bernese Rule

The town had a good relationship with the Prince-Bishops until the late 1600s. But in the early 1700s, there were many protests against the Prince-Bishop. The city of Bern had to step in to calm things down.

After the French invasion in 1798, La Neuveville became part of France. It was first in the Département of Mont-Terrible. Then, in 1800, it moved to the Département of Haut-Rhin. After Napoleon's defeat, the Congress of Vienna decided La Neuveville would join the Canton of Bern in 1815. Under Bernese rule, it became the capital of its own district.

Modern Economy

La Neuveville had a special school, called a Latin school, starting in the 1600s. In the 1700s, a boarding school for foreign students opened. In the 1800s, the watchmaking industry came to La Neuveville. Today, about 36% of jobs in town are still in watchmaking. Another important industry is taking care of the 84.8 hectares (210 acres) of vineyards. These grow on the sunny slopes of the Jura Mountains above the town.

Exploring the Geography of La Neuveville

La Neuveville covers an area of about 6.8 square kilometers (2.6 square miles). A large part of this land, about 62.6%, is covered by forests. About 18.5% is used for farming, especially for vineyards. The town itself, with its buildings and roads, takes up about 18.3% of the land.

The town is located right on the shore of Lake Biel. It sits between the lake and the Chasseral peak of the Jura Mountains. Its western border is next to the Canton of Neuchâtel. La Neuveville includes the main village and a small settlement called Chavannes.

In 2010, La Neuveville became part of the new Jura bernois administrative district.

Town Symbol: Coat of Arms

The blazon (description) of La Neuveville's coat of arms is: Gules two Keys Argent in saltire on a Mount of 3 Coupeaux Sable. This means it shows two silver keys crossed over each other on a black hill, all on a red background.

Who Lives Here: Demographics

La Neuveville has a population of about 3,552 people (as of December 2011). About 16.5% of the people living here are foreign nationals. Over the last ten years, the population has grown slightly.

Languages Spoken

Most people in La Neuveville speak French. About 76.7% of the population uses French as their main language. German is the second most common, spoken by about 15.7% of people. Italian is third, spoken by about 2.9%.

Where People Come From

About 26.2% of the people living in La Neuveville in 2000 were born there. Another 25.9% were born in the same canton (Bern). About 26.4% were born elsewhere in Switzerland. And 17.6% were born outside of Switzerland.

Age Groups

As of 2011, about 20.9% of the population are children and teenagers (0–19 years old). Adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.8%. Seniors (over 64 years old) make up 20.3%.

Living Arrangements

In 2010, there were 552 households with only one person. There were also 84 households with five or more people. Most apartments in the town are lived in all the time.

The historical population is shown in the chart below:

Cool Places to See: Sights in La Neuveville

The historic city of La Neuveville has many interesting places to visit. These include the Schlossberg, the old city walls, and the defense towers. The White Church is also a key sight.

Cannons from the Duchy of Burgundy were captured by the Swiss in 1476. This was after the Battle of Grandson. Today, these cannons are kept in a museum in La Neuveville. It is one of the biggest collections of medieval cannons in the world.

Important Heritage Sites

Several places in La Neuveville are listed as heritage sites of national significance. This means they are very important to Switzerland's history and culture. These sites include:

The Blanche Église Réformée (White Church)
The Cour Gléresse (also known as Hof Ligerz)
The Fontaines Des Bannerets (fountains)
The city walls
The Hôtel de Ville (town hall)
The Maison de Berne
The Maison des Dragons

The entire old town of La Neuveville and the small village of Chavannes are also part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

Blanche Église Réformée (The White Church)
Cour Gléresse / Hof Ligerz
Market street with Red Tower
Fontaines Des Bannerets
View through the gate of the city fortifications
Hôtel de Ville (town hall)
Maison de Berne
Maison des Dragons

How People Work: Economy

In 2011, La Neuveville had a low unemployment rate of 1.7%. This means most people who wanted jobs had them. In 2008, there were 1,468 people working in the town.

Job Sectors

Primary Sector: This includes jobs like farming. About 48 people worked in this sector.
Secondary Sector: This includes jobs in manufacturing and construction. About 578 people worked here. A lot of these jobs were in making things, like watches.
Tertiary Sector: This includes jobs in services, like shops, hotels, healthcare, and education. About 842 people worked in this sector.

Many people who live in La Neuveville also work there. About 47.2% of the workers both lived and worked in the town. Many people use private cars to get to work (56.2%). About 13.5% use public transportation.

Taxes and Income

In 2011, the average tax rate for a married person in La Neuveville was about 12.4%. For an unmarried person, it was 18.2%. The average income for people earning over 75,000 CHF was 132,219 CHF.

Beliefs: Religion

Based on the 2000 census, about 46.3% of the people in La Neuveville belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. This is a Protestant church. About 27.5% were Roman Catholic. There were also smaller groups of other Christian faiths. About 2.41% of the population was Islamic. About 14.14% of the people said they had no religion.

Learning and Schools: Education

In La Neuveville, about 48.4% of adults have finished non-mandatory upper secondary education. This is schooling after the basic required years. About 23.5% have gone on to higher education. This means they attended a university or a specialized college.

School System

The school system in the Canton of Bern works like this:

Kindergarten: One year of optional (not required) kindergarten.
Primary School: Six years of primary school.
Lower Secondary School: Three years of required secondary school. Students are grouped by their abilities.
After Secondary: After this, students can go to more schools or start an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is like learning a job by working with an expert.

In the 2011–12 school year, there were 510 students in La Neuveville. This included students in kindergarten, primary school, and lower secondary school. Many students (around 15-18%) were not Swiss citizens or spoke a different language at home.

Library

La Neuveville has a regional library called the Bibliothèque régionale. In 2008, it had over 20,000 books and other media. It loaned out over 32,000 items that year.

Famous People from La Neuveville

Jean Preudhomme (1732 - 1795 in La Neuveville) was a Swiss painter. He mainly painted landscapes and animals. He is buried in La Neuveville.
Sophie Wyss (1897 in La Neuveville – 1983) was a Swiss singer (soprano). She became famous as a concert singer and radio performer in the UK.