Republic Day in 2025

When is Neuchâtel Republic Day?

Republic Day is a Swiss regional public holiday celebrated on 1st March each year in the canton of Neuchâtel.

This holiday marks the date in 1848 when Neuchâtel became a republic within the Swiss Confederation.

History of Neuchâtel Republic Day

Neuchâtel is a French-speaking Canton located in the western part of Switzerland.

It first emerged as a single region in the late 14th century. It adopted Protestantism as the dominant religion. This led to Neuchâtel becoming a principality within the Prussia rather than Catholic France.

King Frederick William III of Prussia was deposed as the prince of Neuchâtel in 1806 by Napoleon Bonaparte, though the principality was restored after the Liberation Wars in 1814.

In 1815 the Congress of Vienna allowed Neuchâtel along with Geneva and Valais to join the Swiss Confederation.

This gave Neuchâtel the distinction of being the only monarchy to have joined the otherwise republican Swiss cantons.

On 1 March 1848 Neuchâtel declared itself a republic, the same year that the Swiss Confederation was transformed into a federation.

Republic Day is one of only two holidays that are celebrated by only one canton in Switzerland. The other is the "jeûne genevois" which is celebrated in Geneva on the Thursday after the first Sunday in September, though arguably that is a variation on the Federal Fast holiday observed elsewhere in Switzerland on the third Sunday in September.