The Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History is an encyclopaedic museum founded in 1884 on the lakeshore. Here you can discover Impressionist paintings, the 18th-century Jaquet-Droz automata and a stairwell with monumental decoration.
Fine and applied arts museums
Main highlights
- Over 150,000 objects spanning fine arts, history, applied arts and numismatics
- Jaquet-Droz automata : the Writer, the Draughtsman and the Musician, still in working order
- Monumental stairwell painted by Léo-Paul Robert and decorated with Clement Heaton
Overview
The museum grew out of the cabinet of curiosities of General Charles Daniel de Meuron, donated to the City around 1795. The building, designed by architect Léo Châtelain, housed the Painting Museum on the upper floor from 1884, followed by the History Museum on the ground floor in 1885. The two institutions later merged.
Enriched by donors and patrons, the collections now number more than 150,000 objects and images. The Amez-Droz bequest of 1979 brought 69 French Impressionist works, including paintings by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Morisot and Pissarro. Today, the museum’s encyclopaedic character is one of its great strengths.
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What to see and do
The stairwell features three monumental canvases by Léo-Paul Robert devoted to the regions of the canton : Neuchâtel and intellectual life, Val-de-Ruz and rural life, and La Chaux-de-Fonds and industrial life. The decoration of the walls and dome, created with Englishman Clement Heaton, celebrates the divine through plants and celestial beings.
The Jaquet-Droz automata, created between 1768 and 1774 and donated to the City in 1909, made the family famous throughout Europe. They are shown in action during regular demonstrations.
The permanent collections feature Swiss and international paintings and sculptures, historical objects on the region viewed through the lens of mobility, and applied arts : Suchard-Tobler advertising material, printed calico textiles (indiennes) and antique clocks and watches. A numismatics room displays coins and medals.
Practical information
Getting there : on foot from the city centre and the railway station, with parking nearby.
Visit duration : allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the permanent collections.
Visitors : the Atelier des Musées, a service shared by the three municipal museums, offers workshops and guided tours for all ages.
On site : automata demonstrations can also be booked for groups of 5 or more.
Visiting tips
Check the demonstration dates to see the automata in action. Take time to admire the fine detail of the stairwell decoration.
Continue to the Galeries de l’histoire, the museum’s annex in the north courtyard of the Hôtel DuPeyrou, 300 m away, where scale models trace the city from the year 1000 to the present day. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions.
Nearby attractions
- The Neuchâtel Natural History Museum showcases wildlife, geology and evolution.
- Neuchâtel Collegiate Church, built in the 12th and 13th centuries, combines Romanesque volumes with Gothic influences.
- Valangin Castle, a medieval fortress, was the residence of the Lords of Valangin.
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