VenueThe conference takes place at the University of Neuchâtel in the Faculté des Lettres located directly at the lake: Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines NeuchâtelSituated at the foot of the Jura Mountains, in the midst of vineyards and
on the shores of the largest Swiss lake, Neuchâtel enjoys an idyllic setting
and is in the heart of the Swiss high-tech and watch industry. The majority
of the area is francophone, and yet it straddles the linguistic divide, the
"Röstigraben", between French- and German-speaking Switzerland. Throughout
2002, Neuchâtel was one of the principal focuses for the Expo 02, the Swiss
national exposition. The city is home of several museums and festivals - the
famous "Fête des Vendanges", the wine festival celebrated at the start of
the grape harvest. This year the festival takes place from Friday, September
24 to Sunday, September 26. How to get thereNeuchâtel is easily accessible from Switzerland's major airports, neighboring countries and other Swiss cities by public transportation. Geneva aiport can be reached within one and a half hours from Neuchâtel by train, Zurich airport within two and a half hours. All places of interest, shops and leisure activities are within walking distance of the University. No cars are allowed in the old town. We encourage all participants to travel by public transportation. The train schedule is available at http://www.sbb.ch.HistoryIn the Middle Ages, the area was ruled by Burgundian kings. Later on, German and French noble lineages took over and eventually, Neuchâtel became the personal property of the King of Prussia after 1707. Its intellectual and cultural life blossomed and the ideas of the Encyclopaedists flourished there. Neuchâtel then joined the Swiss Confederation in 1815 and was in a peculiar political position. It became a Swiss canton while remaining bound to the King of Prussia. Only in 1848 the far-off power renounced its claims to the region.SightsNeuchâtel's atmospheric Old Town is a picturesque quarter with old houses, 16th and 17th century fountains and defensive towers. Many of its buildings are made from local yellow sandstone , which inspired Alexandre Dumas to describe Neuchâtel as looking "like a toytown carved out of butter". The Collegiate Church and Castle form a single monumental ensemble. The collegiate church, a fine 12th and 13th century construction with multicolored glazed tiles, was converted in 1530, because of the Reformation, and heavily restored during the 19th century. The castle, which formerly was the residence of the Neuchâtel lords, is today the seat of the cantonal government. The town's main attractions are its café-lounging Gallic atmosphere and its location, with boats weaving to and fro across the lake and the first ridges of the high Jura range standing poised over the town. The Musée d'Art is worth going out of your way to experience, both for its innovative fine-art collection, and for its set of charming eighteenth-century mechanical figurines which demonstrate in understated style the quite exceptional skills of the Neuchâtel watchmakers of the era. Download city map (PDF, 435kb)
Around NeuchâtelThe Lac de Neuchâtel, the Murtensee (Lac de Morat), and the Bielersee/Lac de Bienne are all connected by canals, and one of the scenic highlights of the area is taking a long ferry cruise (3-4hr one-way). Above Neuchâtel, roads and train tracks rise steeply into the folds and ridges of the Jura mountain range characterized by remote, scrubby rounded hilltops, and deep, rugged valleys dotted by windswept, privately minded villages nursing a Gallic culture. The Doubs river marks the border with France, set down in a gorge and forming along its path an impressive waterfall, the Saut du Doubs or the Swiss Grand Canyon - the Creux du Van. Creux du Van (Foto:
www.picswiss.ch)
For further information see http://www.neuchatel.ch or http://www.switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/arc_jurassien/neuchatel.html © 2004 - 6th International Conference on New Educational
Environments (ICNEE) - Contact
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