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Neuchâtel canton (Switzerland)

image by T.F. Mills/António Martins

Description of the flag
Symbolism of the flag
History of the flag
Colour Flag
Flaggen, Knatterfahnen and livery colours
Early 20th century flag design
Logo

See also:

Switzerland: ethnical/linguistic regions
Switzerland
TIERCED in Dictionary of Vexillology
Sceaux historiques du canton de Neuchâtel (by Georges de Wyss [Georg von Wyss], 1862, French)
L'écusson de Neuchâtel (by Antonin Henseler, 1883, French)
Les armoiries et les couleurs de Neuchâtel (by Maurice Tripet, 1892, French)
Les armoiries communales anciennes du pays de Neuchâtel (by Olivier Clottu, 1943–46, French) part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4
La question des armoiries neuchâteloises (by Louis Thévenaz, 1950, French)

Description of the flag

Tierced per pale vert, argent and gules, in sinister chief a cross couped silver.

Divided vertically into three equal parts green, white and red. In the top corner of the fly is a small white Confederate Cross. The cross is the old Confederate style with long, narrow arms, and not the modern federal one with shorter, stubbier arms.
T.F. Mills, 4 November 1997

Symbolism of the flag

There are two theories about the symbolism of the Neuchâtel colours, and they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The current cantonal flag was first adopted in the mid-19th century by the republican and revolutionary party. Their flag was either unimaginatively taken directly from the Italian republican and independentist movement, or the colours represented revolution (green and white) and allegiance to Switzerland (red with white cross).
T.F. Mills, 4 November 1997

The colors are based upon the national colors of the herald of Neuchâtel, green and white the colors of rebellion and red and white, the colors of the Swiss flag. The cross was added in 1870 to distinguish the flag from the Italian flag. The flag of 1350 (or, on a pale gules, three chevronels argent) was discarded in 1848, but there have been three unsuccessful plebicites to reintroduce this flag (1921, 1931, 1954).
Source: Angst (1992), "A Panoply of Colours: The Cantonal Banners of Switzerland and the Swiss National Flag"
Phil Nelson, 14 October 1998

Today, I read in the newspaper some definitions of the colours one can find on the francophone Swiss cantons' flags. The sources are quite sure (Mr. Maurice de Tribolet, who looks after the records of the Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel, and the article was in the newspaper "Le Temps" of 4 January 2001, the biggest francophone Swiss newspaper). The flag had to be created after the "Revolution of the 1st March 1848" and the Republicans had no time to try to find a new state flag. They decided the "red" would stand for the south of the Canton because that is a great region for wine production, the "white" would stand for the valleys and their "white walls" and the "green" would stand for pastures and forests in the north of the Canton.
Nasha Gagnebin, 4 January 2001

History of the flag

Neuchâtel was long a buffer state between France and Switzerland. From the mid-11th century the counts of Neuchâtel prospered, and their arms consisted of a yellow field with two white bands, each charged with three small red chevrons. This was simplified in the 1350 battle flag (see image) as three white chevrons on a single red band ("or, on a pale gules, three chevronels argent"). Despite some complicated variations, such as the 1815 war flag which incorporated also the arms of Prussia, this flag remained in general use until 1848.

The male line of the county of Neuchâtel died out in 1373, leading to a long struggle as a succession of claimants sought to assert control. The arms of Louis de Chalons, prince of Orange ("gules, a bend or") became quartered with those of Neuchâtel. While the aristrocracy struggled, the city of Neuchâtel became increasingly independent and allied itself in 1406 with Bern. In 1512 the Swiss Confederation seized the county of Neuchâtel, but was forced to yield it back in 1529 to Jeanne, Duchess of Orléans-Longueville. The Swiss nevertheless maintained close ties with the citizens of Neuchâtel and in 1598 the city-state became an allied state of the Confederation. In the 17th century Neuchâtel merged with the neighbouring county of Valangin and became a principality. In 1707 the house of Orléans-Longueville died out, by which time the city of Neuchâtel had become powerful enough to choose its own prince. They chose the geographically and genealogically distant claimant, King Friedrich I of Prussia. The King ruled through a governor, who was subject to Neuchatel law. The Prussian eagle was now superimposed on the quartered Neuchâtel-Chalons arms.

When the old Swiss Confederation collapsed in 1798, Neuchâtel was left in the lurch. Since Napoléon was at war with Prussia, he seized Neuchâtel and installed Marshal Berthier as its prince. With the fall of Napoléon, the King of Prussia reasserted his claims and the people of Neuchâtel renewed their ties with Switzerland. Neuchâtel was admitted as a full canton in 1815, but with the unique distinction of owing nominal fielty to a distant monarch. This led to conflict between the local monarchist and republican parties, exacerbated by the European revolutions of 1830 and 1848. The republicans staged a coup in 1848 and along with their provisional government adopted what later became the modern official flag of Neuchâtel. The conflict in Neuchâtel threatened in 1856 to break out into full civil war, sucking in Prussia and Switzerland. Cooler heads prevailed and in 1857 the King of Prussia renounced all claims to Neuchâtel, which became a full-fledged member of Switzerland – with the 1848 revolutionary banner as its flag.

The adoption of the 1848 flag was a deliberate snub of the royalists in Neuchâtel, and was accomplished without even formal enactment. Its design became particularly problematic after Italian unification in 1870, which made the white cross all the more important. A better design would have been to reverse the red and green bands and put the white cross in the normal point of honour. Attempts to restore the flag of 1350, which is far more meaningful to Neuchâtel history, were rejected in plebiscites held in 1923, 1931, and 1954.
T.F. Mills, 4 November 1997

I was interested to learn that the predominant colors in the Neuchâtel arms were red and yellow. This explains why the infantry of Berthier's Neuchâtel Battalion (which fought for Napoleon in Spain, Russia, Germany and France) wore yellow "Spencer" coats with red collar, cuffs, turnbacks and lapels – a most colorful and unusual uniform, even by the gaudy standards of the Grand Army.
Tom Gregg, 3 February 1997

[Seal (1344–1370) of Count Louis of Neuchâtel, the knight's shield showing already the changed arms, followed by the flag in 1350 (source). –
Flag of Neuchâtel under the reign of Princess Marie d'Orléans, c. 1700 (source: [b7b42]). –
Flag of Neuchâtel canton (1815–48, 58x65 cm). White cloth with silver metal fringes. On the reverse side on white cloth the Golden lettering "Canton de Neuchâtel" (b/w photo, source: [b7b42]). –
Battalion flag, presented in 1819 from crown prince Wilhelm IV of Prussia to the troops (Neuchâtel was simultaneously a Prussian principality and a Swiss canton from 1815 to 1848). The escutcheon in the center of the flag shows the arms of the Prussian house Châlons-Orange, of Neuchâtel and the Prussian eagle. It is framed by a branch of oak leaves and a branch of laurel leaves, both in green (source: [ges43]). See photo of this and other flags on a postcard (Château de Colombier, salle des drapeaux). –
Flag of Neuchâtel canton (1836–48, 159x150 cm). Cloth divided of orange and black-white. Centered monogram "FG" (Fredericus Guilhelmus) with surmounted Prussian royal crown (b/w photo, source: [b7b42]). –
Revolutionary flag (b/w photo), with date of 29 February 1848, when the revolutionaries, led by Fritz Courvoisier, marched from La Chaux-de-Fonds to Neuchâtel, where they deposed the royalist government and proclaimed the republic. The flag was made by women of La Chaux-de-Fonds, who handed it over to Courvoisier when returned from Neuchâtel. The flag's cloth is red, the writing is embroidered with yellow silk. Green garland is applied on one side (source: [b7b42]). –
New cantonal flag (1848, the year date printed with black ink), one of the first new flags. Location: Musée militaire et des toiles peintes, Colombier NE (source)]

Neuchâtel flag of 1350

image by António Martins

Neuchâtel flag of 1836–1848

image by ND

Colour Flag

image located by Martin Karner

Rectangular cantonal flag, as shown in Mader (1942) (So-called colour flag [Farbenfahne in German].
As a special case the colour flag of Neuchâtel keeps the design of the regular flag).
Martin Karner

See also: STATE COLOURS in Dictionary of Vexillology

Flaggen, Knatterfahnen and Livery Colours

images by Pascal Gross

Flaggen are vertically hoisted from a crossbar in the manner of gonfanon, in ratio of about 2:9, with a swallowtail that indents about 2 units. The chief, or hoist (square part) usually incorporates the design from the coat of arms – not from the flag. The fly part is always divided lengthwise, usually in a bicolour, triband or tricolour pattern (except Schwyz which is monocolour, and Glarus which has four stripes of unequal width). The colours chosen for the fly end are usually the main colours of the coat of arms, but the choice is not always straight forward.

Knatterfahnen are similar to Flaggen, but hoisted from the long side and have no swallow tail. They normally show the national, cantonal or communal flag in their chiefs.
Željko Heimer, 16 July 2000

The little cross of the flag has been kept on the livery colours of Neuchâtel canton to avoid confusion with an Italian banner.
Pascal Gross, 22 April 2001

See also: HANGING FLAG, VERTICALLY HOISTED FLAG, LIVERY COLOURS in Dictionary of Vexillology

Early 20th century flag design

images located by Martin Karner
(Postmark: 1909 | source) (source)

At the beginning of the 20th century, flamed flags were still in use, with the white cross replaced by a (baroque) shield in the centre of the flag. These decorative flags had been used until WWII and then somewhat forgotten in preference of the current cantonal flags. [Today they are being produced again, see right image]
Pascal Gross, 30 June 2002

See also:   • National flag and other cantonal flags with "Early 20th century flag design"
                 • Modern flamed flags
                 • FLAMMES in Dictionary of Vexillology