Lake Neuchâtel (french: Lac de Neuchâtel ; frp, Lèc de Nôchâtél; german: Neuenburgersee) is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

primarily in

Romandy Romandy (french: Romandie or )Before World War I, the term French Switzerland (french: Suisse française) waalso used german: Romandie or , it, Romandia, rm, Romanda) is the French-speaking part of western Switzerland. In 2020, about 2 milli ...

, in the French-speaking part of

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by the cantons of

Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...

Fribourg , neighboring_municipalities= Düdingen, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Pierrafortscha, Sankt Ursen, Tafers, Villars-sur-Glâne , twintowns = Rueil-Malmaison (France) , website = www.ville-fribourg.ch , Location of , Location of () () ...

, and

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

. It comprises one of the lakes in the Three Lakes Region (French: ''Pays des Trois-Lacs'', German: ''Drei-Seen-Land''), along with lakes

Biel , french: Biennois(e) , neighboring_municipalities= Brügg, Ipsach, Leubringen/Magglingen (''Evilard/Macolin''), Nidau, Orpund, Orvin, Pieterlen, Port, Safnern, Tüscherz-Alfermée, Vauffelin , twintowns = Iserlohn (Germany) B ...

/Bienne and

Morat Morat may refer to: * Morat, Switzerland, or Murten, a town in Switzerland * Battle of Morat (1476), between the Swiss Federation and Charles I, Duke of Burgundy * Morat (band), a Colombian folk band * Morat, a type of mead that uses mulberries. S ...

/Murten. With a surface of , Lake Neuchâtel is the largest lake located entirely in Switzerland and the 59th largest lake in Europe. It is long and at its widest. Its surface is above sea level, and the maximum depth is . The total water volume is . The lake's drainage area is approximately and its culminating point is

Le Chasseron Le Chasseron is a mountain in the Jura Mountains, overlooking Sainte-Croix in the canton of Vaud. It has an elevation of 1,607 metres above sea level and is amongst the most isolated mountains of Switzerland. See also *List of mountains of Sw ...

at . In comparison to the Lake Geneva region, the Lake Neuchatel shoreline has experienced significant economic development with the completion of the regional motorway network. It is also known to have housed a Celtic agglomeration on pile-dwellings called La Tène and which gives its name to the second Iron Age. The lake is fed by the rivers L'Orbe (called La Thielle or La Thièle locally, downstream of the city of Orbe), ''L'Arnon'', ''L'Areuse'', ''Le Seyon'', and ''La Menthue'', as well as by the ''Canal de la Broye''. The Thielle Canal (french: Canal de la Thielle, german: Zihlkanal) drains the lake into

Lake Biel __NOTOC__ Lake Bienne or Lake Biel (french: Lac de Bienne ; german: Bielersee) is a lake in western Switzerland. Together with Lake Morat and Lake Neuchâtel, it is one of the three large lakes in the Jura region of Switzerland. It lies approxim ...

and is part of regulation system for the lakes and the rivers of the Seeland region. Lake Neuchâtel was the home of the now

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

species of deepwater trout ''

Salvelinus neocomensis ''Salvelinus'' is a genus of salmonid fish often called char or charr; some species are called "trout". ''Salvelinus'' is a member of the subfamily Salmoninae within the family Salmonidae. The genus has a northern circumpolar distribution, and m ...

''.

Geography

Lake Neuchatel is situated at the foot of the Jura mountain range, on the Swiss Plateau. Mainly in the French-speaking Swiss Romande, it borders the territory of four cantons: Neuchâtel (),

(),

() and

(). The lake's main tributaries are the Thiele and the

Broye The Broye (; frp, Brouye''Dictionnaire-Dikchenéro: Français-Patois/Patê-Franché''. Société cantonale des patoisans fribourgeois. Fribourg: 2013. p. 87 ) is a 68 km long river, in the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud, in Switzerland. It ha ...

canal which connect it to Lake Morat. It flows into Lake Biel via the

Thielle canal The river Thielle (french: La Thielle, or La Thièle, german: Zihl), is a tributary to the Aare, in the Swiss Seeland. The Thielle results from the merging of the Orbe and Talent, northeast of the little city of Orbe in the Swiss canton of Vaud ...

(German: ''Zihlkanal''). Since the Jura water correction in the 19th and 20th centuries, it has served, together with Lake Morat, as a compensation basin for the waters of the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is a tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to its junction with the Rhine comprises about , during which distance it descen ...

flowing into Lake Biel. Indeed, if the level of the latter rises too much, the flow may stop or even go in the opposite direction. Lake Neuchâtel is long and has a maximum width of . Its maximum depth is and its capacity is estimated at . It is the largest lake located entirely on Swiss territory, considering that

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial la ...

and

Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...

are shared with neighboring countries. In the summer of 2021, Lake Neuchatel reached historically high water levels due to widespread flooding over mainland Europe.

History and prehistory

The lake was frequented by prehistoric man as evidenced by the remains (site of the

Auvernier Auvernier is a village in the district of Boudry in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The municipalities of Auvernier, Bôle and Colombier merged on 1 January 2013 into the new municipality of Milvignes.Laténium The Laténium is an archeology museum located in Hauterive, a suburb of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Its name refers to the famous nearby site of La Tène which gave its name to the Second European Iron age. The Laténium is composed of a park an ...

) where bones of

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is ...

and

Eurasian beaver The Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber'') or European beaver is a beaver species that was once widespread in Eurasia, but was hunted to near-extinction for both its fur and castoreum. At the turn of the 20th century, only about 1,200 beavers survi ...

were also found (two species then almost ubiquitous in Europe). Several

megalithic A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

monuments line the lake such as the alignment of Clendy and the

menhirs A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be foun ...

Gorgier Gorgier is a former municipality in the district of Boudry in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. On 1 January 2018 the former municipalities of Bevaix, Saint-Aubin-Sauges, Gorgier, Vaumarcus, Montalchez and Fresens merged into the new ...

Grandson Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Saint-Aubin-Sauges Saint-Aubin-Sauges is a former municipality in the district of Boudry in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. On 1 January 2018 the former municipalities of Bevaix, Saint-Aubin-Sauges, Gorgier, Vaumarcus, Montalchez and Fresens merged ...

, and Vauroux, as well as an imposing erratic block, the . When the first Swiss towns appear,

Mont Vully Mont Vully (653 m; in German also known as ''Wistenlacherberg''''MontVully''
hls-dhs-dss.ch) is a

, which was a large fortified area of around 50 hectares built around 120

BCE Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...

, controlled the lakes of Morat and Neuchâtel while the La Tène area remained nearly unoccupied. What is now

Yverdon-les-Bains Yverdon-les-Bains () (called Eburodunum and Ebredunum during the Roman era) is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district. The population of Yverdon-les-Bains, , wa ...

was located on a barrier island on the other side of the lake, a place of smaller settlement (3 to 4 hectares) occupied from the

4th century BCE The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period. This century marked the height of Classical Greek civilization in all of its aspects ...

, and later fortified in 80 BCE by means of a long and solid rampart with frontal posts (like that of Vully), before this

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

(''Eburodunum'') becomes a ''

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

'' in the first centuries CE. The first written mention of the lake dates from the year 998 CE, where a ''laci everdunensis'' (or lake of Yverdon, from its Latin name ''Eburodunum'') is mentioned, near which the priory of Bevaix was founded. The name dominates throughout the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, co-utilized with the current term ''Lake Neuchâtel'', however, is frequent from the 15th century onwards. The latter became dominant during the 19th century, in particular with the lowering of the level of the lake and the development of the Vaudois railway, which reduced the importance of the Port of Yverdon. Lake Neuchâtel, and in particular the town of Neuchâtel became a popular tourist destination during the Belle Époque period due to its climate and panoramic views of the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

List of settlements on the lake

Northwestern shore

From Yverdon to La Tène (Southwest to Northeast): *

( VD) *

(VD) *

Bonvillars Bonvillars is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Bonvillars is first mentioned in 1100 AD as ''Binvilar''. Local Savoyard Knight Sir John de Bonvillars (Sir Jean de Bevillard in ...

(VD) *

Onnens Onnens ( frp, Onens ) is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Onnens is first mentioned in 1228 as ''Unens''. Geography Onnens has an area, , of . Of this area, or 41.7% is used ...

(VD) *

Corcelles-près-Concise Corcelles-près-Concise is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Corcelles-près-Concise is first mentioned in 885 as ''Corceles''. In 888 it was mentioned as ''Corcella''. Geograp ...

(VD) *

Concise Concise is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Concise is first mentioned in 1179 as ''Concisa''. Geography Concise has an area, , of . Of this area, or 24.4% is used for agr ...

(VD) *

Vaumarcus Vaumarcus is a former municipality in the district of Boudry in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. On 1 January 2018 the former municipalities of Bevaix, Saint-Aubin-Sauges, Gorgier, Vaumarcus, Montalchez and Fresens merged into the new mun ...

( NE) * Sauges (Saint-Aubin-Sauges) (NE) * Saint-Aubin (Saint-Aubin-Sauges) (NE) * Gorgier, Chez-Le-Bart (Gorgier) (NE) * Bevaix (NE) *

Cortaillod Cortaillod is a municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The Neolithic Cortaillod culture was named after Cortaillod, where four Neolithic villages have been discovered. History Cortaillod is first mentioned in 1311 as ''Corta ...

(NE) * Areuse (Boudry) (NE) * Colombier (Milvignes) (NE) * Auvernier (Milvignes) (NE) * Serrières (Neuchâtel) * Neuchâtel * Hauterive (NE) * St-Blaise (NE) * Marin-Epagnier (La Tène) (NE)

Southeastern shore

From Yverdon to Gampelen: * Cheseaux (Cheseaux-Noréaz) (VD) *

Yvonand Yvonand is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois (former Yverdon) of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Neuchâtel the village has a population of almost 2,500 which may rise to 7,000 i ...

(VD) * Cheyres (Cheyres-Châbles) ( FR) * Châbles (Cheyres-Châbles) (FR) * Font (Estavayer) (FR) * Estavayer-le-Lac (Estavayer) (FR) * Forel (Estavayer) (FR) * Chevroux (VD) * Pré de Riva (Gletterens) (FR) * Portalban (Delley-Portalban) (FR) * Chabrey (Vully-les-Lacs) (VD) * Champmartin (Cudrefin) (VD) *

Cudrefin Cudrefin () is a municipality in the district of Broye-Vully in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Cudrefin is first mentioned in 999 as ''Curtefin''. Geography left, Cudrefin Cudrefin has an area, , of . Of this area, or 60.7% is u ...

(VD) * La Sauge (Cudrefin) (VD) * Lindehof, Witzwil (Ins) ( BE) * Tannenhof (Gampelen) (BE)

Notes

External links

*
Waterlevels at the Harbour of Neuchâtel
from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment {{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Neuchatel L Lake Neuchatel Neuchatel Neuchatel Neuchatel Neuchatel Neuchatel Bern–Fribourg border Fribourg–Vaud border Bern–Vaud border Bern–Neuchâtel border Ramsar sites in Switzerland