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# Neuchâtel canton (Switzerland)

##

Last modified: 2026-05-02 by martin karner
Keywords: neuchâtel | prussia | napoleon | french |
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image by T.F. Mills/António Martins

- Description of the Flag
- Symbolism of the Flag
- History of the Flag
  - Neuchâtel Flag of 1350
  - Neuchâtel Flag of 1836–1848
  - Miscellaneous Pictures
- Colour Flag
- Flaggen, Knatterfahnen and Livery Colours
- Early 20th Century Flag Design
- Logo
- Cockade

- Regions and communes of Neuchâtel canton
- Watchmaker flag (Neuchâtel canton)
- Neuchâtel Sport Shooting Society (SNTS)

See also:

- Cantons of Switzerland
- Switzerland
- 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)
- Sigillographie neuchâteloise (by Léon Jéquier, 1934–39, French) part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12
- 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

Our image in the Miscellaneous Pictures section (below), is described as being "orange and black-white", so the simple tricolor probably is a simplification of that more complex design, with crowned monogram on unequal stripes. Is the choice of orange color punning for Châlons-Orange, akin to what was done in the Netherlands?
António Martins, 10 March 2026

According to Mühlemann [mue91] the colours orange, black and white were determined by a royal decree of 22 March 1836 to be the new official state colours. The cockade had these colours in the same order, beginning from the middle. Mühlemann presents a drawing of the same tricolor as our image by ND. He also mentions that such an equally divided tricolor is shown on a lithography from 1842. Further he mentions the same flag of our Miscellaneous Pictures section, but he doesn't elaborate on the width of the stripes. We can conclude from this that there were no legal provisions on this matter, at least not in the royal decree.
Mühlemann writes that the colour orange was chosen because it was a mixture of the former official colours yellow and red. These old colours had fallen into disrepute with the government because they were worn as cockades by participants in the republican uprising of 1831. Black and white were the colours of Prussia. António's guess about the colour pun for the house of Châlons-Orange is surely not far-fetched, I think it was at least a welcome coincidence, that was gladly accepted. In addition to all this, perhaps also the fact played a role, that orange, as the symbolic colour of Protestantism, reflected the religious affiliation of both states.

Martin Karner, 11 March 2026

### Neuchâtel Flag of 1350

image by António Martins

### Neuchâtel Flag of 1836–1848

image by ND

### Miscellaneous Pictures

- 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]).
- Arms of Neuchâtel (85×143 cm, 18th century). The building that housed the former Neuchâtel Town Hall was decommissioned in 1790 before being demolished in 1860. Its rooms were decorated with painted panels and paintings, e.g. this remaining painting of the coat of arms of the city of Neuchâtel, which probably served as a door header. The first lion bears a banner with the chevrons of Neuchâtel on its right shoulder. In the centre is the coat of arms of Neuchâtel: a sable eagle bearing a chevron escutcheon in its heart. Location: Musée d'art et d'histoire, Neuchâtel (source).
- Flag of Neuchâtel canton under Prussian rule (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. Location: Musée d'art et d'histoire, Neuchâtel (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. In the aftermath of the republican takeover on 1 March 1848, a commission was tasked with choosing the colours of the robe to be worn by the usher representing Neuchâtel at the Federal Diet. This also provided an opportunity to consider the future cantonal flag. On 11 April, the commission adopted the colours green, white and red arranged vertically, with a white cross floating in the red field. On 30 January 1849, a decree of the Grand Council prohibited "the wearing of the old colours of Neuchâtel or Prussia, signs or emblems intended to recall the former domination, and all flags of the same nature". The choice of green, white and red refers to the federal colours combined with green. The commission justified its decision by describing these three colours as "a symbol of the three parts of the country: green for the mountains, red for the vineyards and white for the agricultural areas". Beyond this official explanation, the influence of the French and Italian tricolour flags on the commission's choice should probably be considered. However, the adoption of a new flag was primarily intended to mark a break with the past, as the old coat of arms bearing the chevrons of Neuchâtel was associated with the old regime and the king. Rejecting this argument, several voices subsequently called unsuccessfully for the chevrons to be restored to the cantonal flag. Location: Musée militaire et des toiles peintes, Colombier NE (source).

  ## Colour Flag

  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; see also postcard from 1902).
  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

  (Postmark: 1909 | ansichtskartenversand.com) (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/Martin Karner

  See also:

  - National Flag and other Cantonal Flags with "Early 20th century flag design"
  - Modern Flamed Flags
  - FLAMMES in Dictionary of Vexillology

  ## Logo

  (loc. 8 May 2024)
  (source)

  ## Cockade

  (swissmilitaria.ch)

  Cockade for the cantonal troops' headgear (regulation from 1898, size: ca. 35 mm, reverse side).
  Martin Karner, 14 March 2025

  See also: Cockades (Swiss Army)