north-west to the Trlonger lake, and continues thereafter in the same general direction, but with wide fluctuations, to Nakel. Here it joins the Bromberg canal, which gives access to the river Brahe and so to the Vistula. The Netze then turns west-south-west and waters the moorland (much of which, however, has been brought under cultivation) known as the Netzebruch. It joins the Warthe at Zantoch, after a course of 273 m. It is navigable for 130 m. up to the Bromberg canal and thereafter for smaller boats for 40 m. up to Pakosch on the Trlonger lake. Its drainage area is 5400 sq. m. From 1772 to 1807 that part of Poland which was given to Prussia at the first partition was known as the Netze District, as it extended along the Netze. It was almost all given back to Russia at the peace of Tilsit, but was restored to Prussia in 1815 under the treaty of Vienna.
NEU-BRANDENBURG, a town of Germany, in the grand
duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, is situated on a small lake called
the Tollense See, 58 m. N.W. of Stettin by rail. Pop. (1905)
11,443. It is still partly surrounded with walls, and possesses
four interesting old Gothic gates, dating from about 1300. The
principal buildings are the Marienkirche, a Gothic building of
the 13th century, the Johanniskirche, the town-hall and the
grand ducal palace. It possesses a bronze statue of Fritz Reuter
(1893); a monument to Bismarck (1895); another commemorating
the war of 1870–71 (1895); a small museum of antiquities;
and an art collection. On the other side of the lake is the grand-ducal
palace, Belvedere. Iron-founding, machine-making, wool-spinning
and the making of paper, tobacco and musical instruments
are carried on here, and the trade in wool and agricultural
products is considerable. The horse fair is also important.
Neu-Brandenburg was founded in 1248, and has belonged to
Mecklenburg since 1292.
See Boll, Chronik der Vorderstadt Neubrandenburg (1875).
NEUBREISACH, a town and fortress of Germany in the
imperial province of Alsace-Lorraine, situated on the Rhine-Rhone
canal, 12 m. E. from Colmar by the railway to Freiburg-im-Breisgau.
Pop. (1905—including a garrison of 2300 men)
3520. It is built in the form of a hectagon, and together with
Fort Mortier, which lies on an arm of the Rhine opposite, forms
a place of great strategic strength. It contains an Evangelical
(garrison) church, a Roman Catholic church and a non-commissioned
officers' school. There are electrical works in the
town.
Neubreisach was founded by Louis XIV. in 1699 and fortified by Vauban, the Neubreisacher canal being constructed to transport the necessary materials. In the Franco-German War, it was bombarded by the Germans from the 2nd to the 10th of November 1870, when it capitulated.
See Wolff, Geschichte des Bombardements von Schlettstadt und Neubreisach (Berlin. 1874); and von Neumann, Die Eroberung von Schlettstadt und Neubreisach im Jahre 1870 (Berlin, 1876).
NEUBURG, a town of Germany, in the kingdom of Bavaria,
is pleasantly situated on the Danube, 12 m. W. of Ingolstadt,
on the railway to Neuoffingen. Pop. (1905) 8532. It is a place
of ancient origin, but is chiefly noteworthy because formerly
for two centuries it was the capital of the principality of Pfalz-Neuburg.
Its most important building is the old residence of its
princes, the handsomest part of which is in the Renaissance style
of the 16th century. The town also contains an Evangelical
and seven Roman Catholic churches, a town hall, several
schools and convents, a theatre, and an historical museum with
a valuable library. It has electrical works and breweries, while
fruit and vegetables are cultivated in the neighbourhood, a
considerable trade in these products being carried on by the
Danube.
Neuburg was originally an episcopal see. In the 10th century it passed to the counts of Scheyern, and through them to Bavaria, being ceded to the Rhenish Palatinate at the close of a war in 1507. From 1557 to 1742 it was the capital of a small principality ruled by a cadet branch of the family of the elector palatine of the Rhine. This principality of Pfalz-Neuburg had an area of about 1000 sq. m. and about 100,000 inhabitants. In 1742 it was united again with the Rhenish Palatinate, with which it passed in 1777 to Bavaria.
See Gremmel, Geschichte des Herzogtums Neuburg (Neuburg, 1872); and Führer durch die Stadt Neuburg und deren Umgebung (Neuburg, 1904).
NEUCHÂTEL (Ger. Neuenburg), one of the cantons of western
Switzerland, on the frontier towards France. It is the only
Swiss canton that is situated entirely in the Jura, of which it
occupies the central portion (its loftiest summit is the Mont
Racine, 4731 ft. in the Tête de Rang range). The canton has
a total area of 311⋅8 sq. m., of which 267⋅1 sq. m. are reckoned
“productive” (forests occupying 88⋅6 sq. m. and vineyards
4⋅4 sq. m.). It consists, for the most part, of the longitudinal
ridges and valleys characteristic of the Jura range, while its
drainage is very unequally divided between the Thièle or Zihl,
and the Doubs, which forms part of the north-west boundary
of the canton, and receives only the streams flowing from the Le Locle
and La Chaux de Fonds valley. Three regions make up
the territory. That stretching along the shore of the lake is
called Le Vignoble (from its vineyards) and extends from about
1500 ft. to 2300 ft. above the sea-level. An intermediate region
is named Les Vallées, for it consists of the two principal valleys
of the canton (the Val de Ruz, watered by the Seyon, and the Val
de Travers, watered by the Areuse) which lie to a height of about
2300 ft. to 3000 ft. above the sea-level. The highest region is
known as Les Montagnes, and is mainly composed of the long
valley in which stand the industrial centres of La Chaux de Fonds
(q.v.), and Le Locle (q.v.) to which must be added those
of La Sagne, Les Ponts and Les Verrières, the elevation of these
upland valleys varying from 3000 ft. to 3445 ft. The canton is
well supplied with railways, the direct line from Bern past
Kerzers (Chiètres), Neuchâtel, the Val de Travers and Les
Verrières to Pontarlier for Paris passing right through it, while
La Chaux de Fonds is connected by a line past Le Locle with
Morteau in France. Other lines join the capital, Neuchâtel,
to La Chaux de Fonds, as well as to Yverdon at the south-west
extremity of the lake, and to St Blaise at its north-east end, not
very far from Bienne.
In 1900 the population numbered 126,279 souls according to the federal census (a cantonal census of 1906 makes the figure at that date 134,014), of whom 104,551 were French-speaking, 17,629 German-speaking and 3664 Italian-speaking, while 107,291 were Protestants, 17,731 Romanists or Old Catholics, and 1020 Jews. There are three “established and state-endowed” churches, the National Evangelical (in 1907 a proposal to disestablish it was rejected by a huge majority), the Roman Catholic, and the Old Catholic (this sect in La Chaux de Fonds only), while the pastors of the Free Evangelical church and of the Jews (mostly in La Chaux de Fonds) are so far recognized as such by the state as to be exempt from military service.
Besides the capital, Neuchâtel (q.v.), the chief towns are La Chaux de Fonds (the most populous of all), Le Locle and Fleurier (3746), the principal village in the Val de Travers.
The most valuable mineral product is asphalt, of which there is a large and rich deposit in the Val de Travers, belonging to the state but worked by an English company. The wine of the Vignoble region (both sparkling and still) is plentiful and has a good reputation, the red wines of Neuchâtel, Boudry and Cortaillod being largely exported, though the petit vin blanc of Neuchâtel is all but wholly consumed within the canton. Absinthe is largely manufactured in the Val de Travers, but lace is no longer made there as of old. The Well-known manufactory of Suchard’s chocolate is at Serriéres, practically a suburb of the town of Neuchâtel, while in the canton there are also cement factories and stone quarries. But the most characteristic industry is that of watch-making and the making of gold watch cases, which is chiefly carried on (since the early 18th century) in the highland valleys of La Chaux de Fonds and of Le Locle, as well as at Fleurier in the Val de Travers. At Couvet, also in the Val de Travers, there is a large factory of screws and knitting machines.
The canton is divided into 6 administrative districts, which
