Chaumont

Canton of Neuchâtel · Region: Littoral · 45'455 inhabitants (31.12.2025, municipality of Neuchâtel)

Part of the municipality of Neuchâtel

No population figure is published for this locality: the figure shown is that of the municipality of Neuchâtel.

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Chaumont

In Neuchâtel patois the place is called « Tchumon »; its old German name is said to have been « Zöumot » (to be cross-checked). The place name Chaumont, common in French-speaking areas, generally derives from the Latin calvus mons, « bald mountain », meaning a bare height; this explanation has not been established by a study specific to the Neuchâtel mountain (to be cross-checked).

Founding of Chaumont

Chaumont has neither a founding act nor a known founder. The scattered dwellings of the Chaumont mountain, which rises to 1'171 metres above the town, belong to the municipality of Neuchâtel. At first a summer resort, Chaumont became a permanent community in the mid-19th century, whose residents asserted their identity by having a building erected in 1873 combining a place of worship, a classroom, a refectory and a teacher's flat. The Belle Époque hotels, then the opening of the funicular from La Coudre in 1910 and the lookout tower of 1912, made the mountain an excursion destination. Tourism and farming remain the main activities.

History of Chaumont

before the 19th century. The mountain is mainly pasture, a place of seasonal stays rather than permanent settlement (to be cross-checked).

mid-19th century. Once a summer resort, Chaumont becomes a permanent community.

1873. Construction, to plans by the architect Léo Châtelain, of a building combining a place of worship, a classroom, a refectory and a teacher's flat; the future Federal Councillor Numa Droz teaches there briefly.

1876. Inauguration of the chapel, ecumenical from the outset.

around 1905. The Grand Hôtel de Chaumont appears on a postcard by the Attinger photographic office, a witness to Belle Époque holidaymaking.

1909. On 1 February the Grand Hôtel de Chaumont is hit by a fire.

1910. Opening of the La Coudre-Chaumont funicular, built by the Neuchâtel-Chaumont company, with two cars and a passing loop; a tram links La Coudre to central Neuchâtel.

1912. Construction of the reinforced concrete lookout tower, about 40 metres high.

1930. La Coudre, where the funicular starts, is merged with Neuchâtel (merger voted in February 1929, effective 1 January 1930).

1943. The Transports neuchâtelois take over operation of the funicular.

1970-1983. The architect André Gaillard designs the Hôtel Chaumont & Golf; the project file runs from 6 November 1970 to 16 March 1983.

1995. The funicular receives new cars, replacing those of 1910.

2007. The winch is replaced and one car withdrawn: the funicular now runs with a single car, without a passing loop.

2012. Closure of the Hôtel Chaumont & Golf, which had 88 rooms.

2020. Left empty, the former hotel, owned by an Egyptian company, suffers break-ins and vandalism in June.

2021. The former hotel is put up for sale for 12 million francs; the same year the municipality of Neuchâtel, to which Chaumont belongs, merges with Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux and Valangin.

Historic sites in Chaumont

The Chaumont funicular. Running since 1910 between La Coudre and Chaumont, it remains the main public access to the mountain. It climbs about 570 metres over some 2 kilometres, with four viaducts, in nine minutes. Fitted with new cars in 1995 and modernised in 2007, it has since run with a single car and is operated by TransN.

The Chaumont lookout tower. Built in 1912 of reinforced concrete and about 40 metres high, it offers a view over the Three Lakes region and, in clear weather, the Alps, from the Glarus Alps to the Salève. It was erected by the Compagnie Neuchâtel-Chaumont to boost the site's appeal to tourists.

The Chaumont chapel. Inaugurated in 1876 in the building erected in 1873 by the architect Léo Châtelain, whose sobriety is enlivened by polychrome materials such as brick, it combined a place of worship, a classroom and a teacher's flat. Its stained-glass windows were made by the schoolchildren in 1984-1985. Dedicated to ecumenism from the outset, it hosts an annual service with the Anglican Church. Owned by the municipality of Neuchâtel, it is made available to the Reformed Evangelical Church of Neuchâtel under a concordat.

The Sentier du Temps. This 4.5 kilometre educational trail links Chaumont to the Rocher de l'Ermitage through the forest. Twenty-three illustrated panels trace the history of the Earth from the last ice age back to the formation of the solar system, one metre walked for every million years.

Remains in Chaumont

The Belle Époque Grand Hôtel. Photographed around 1905 by the Attinger office, this hotel was hit by a fire on 1 February 1909; its later fate remains to be clarified.

The former Hôtel Chaumont & Golf. Hotel complex designed by the architect André Gaillard (project 1970-1983), closed in 2012. Owned by an Egyptian company and left empty, it suffered break-ins and vandalism in 2020 and was put up for sale for 12 million francs in 2021.

Sources

Other villages near Chaumont

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