Neuchâtel / Switzerland

Neuchâtel or Neuchatel ; Francoprovençal: Nôchâtél; both from Old French: neu "new" and chatel "castle"; German: Neuenburg [ˈnɔʏənˌbʊrɡ] ; Romansh: Neuchâtel or Neufchâtel; outdated Italian: Neocastello or Castelnuovo) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel. The city has approximately 34,000 inhabitants . The city is sometimes referred to historically by the German name Neuenburg, which has the same meaning. It was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy, then part of the Holy Roman Empire and later under Prussian control from 1707 until 1848, with an interruption during the Napoleonic Wars from 1802 to 1814. In 1848, Neuchâtel became a republic and a canton of Switzerland. The official language of Neuchâtel is French. Neuchâtel is a pilot of the Council of Europe and the European Commission Intercultural Cities programme.