The city of Neuchâtel sits along the magnificent Lake Neuchâtel and it is believed that people lived there as far back as 13000 B.C. in what was a Magdalenian hunting camp. There are many other older civilizations that have been discovered over the years including a Cortaillod culture village and a Hallstatt grave. However, the most amazing discovery was the Merovingian cemetery at Las Battieux where thirty-eight graves from the 7th century were excavated. All these discoveries have led to thirty-two different historical sites being listed as Swiss Heritage Sites of National Significance.
One of the first places that people want to go to when in the city is Neuchâtel’s Old Town, where they will see more than one hundred street fountains and at least half a dozen of them date back to the 16th century. On a walk through Old Town, people will pass the Place des Halles, the 1790 Hôtel de Ville, and the Collégiale Church. The castle near the church was built during the 12th century and is still used by the government to this day. The prison tower offers panoramic views of the town, so it is recommended that everyone finds their way to the top during their visit.
There are many museums in Neuchâtel and people can wander from one to another as they learn more about the history of the city, the wildlife of the country, and the artists who have become famous. Inside the Natural History Museum, guests can walk through the exhibits that show the fauna in their original habitats as they would be seen out in the middle of the country. There are more than 200 different animals represented in the museum’s exhibits and then there are also the live animals that live in the terrariums.
The Art and History Museum has four departments that are each filled with unique collections. People can wander around looking at applied arts, visual arts, items that were considered cabinets of curiosities during the 18th century, and historical collections.
The drawings, paintings, and manuscripts that Friedrich Dürrenmatt produced can all be seen inside the house where he lived at the top of Ermitage Valley. Most people that make the journey to the Center Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel are visiting so that they can reflect on their lives, their past, their future, and even the present day. As they go from space to space inside the home, they can feel how Friedrich Dürrenmatt lived and worked in the home as he created many masterpieces.
Neuchâtel is a fabulous city where people can step back in time and feel like they are living in the past as they are learning about it. The city has been very well preserved, which makes it easy to imagine how people lived back in earlier centuries. There are not too many places in the world where the government is still using a building that was originally built during the 12th century and they should be commended for that as well as all the other historical work they have been doing.