Le Locle — Secret of the Illustrious Watchmaker

Your quest begins at Place des Halles, the beating heart of Neuchâtel since the Middle Ages. Mentioned in charters as early as 1196, this square hosts the weekly market and is surrounded by 17th-18th century buildings. In the center, the Fountain of Justice, erected in 1665, with its 2.5-meter allegorical statue, seems to watch over the city's secrets. It is here, between the arcades and facades of the City Hall built by Louis Gaudin between 1784 and 1790, that the first riddles guide you to clues hidden by the ancient counts of Neuchâtel, guardians of the local heritage. Your mission as Rodolphe of Neuchâtel, a 13th-century count, begins amidst this architecture, a testament to the city's evolution.

Continue your journey towards the majestic Château de Neuchâtel, a 1.2-hectare fortified complex built between 1170 and 1225 by the counts of Neuchâtel themselves. This princely residence until 1848, restored between 1900 and 1910, has since been the seat of the cantonal government. Its seven towers and lateral collegiate church, dating from 1185, immerse you in the history of Neuchâtel, a historic Swiss city. The thick walls and inner courtyards hold clues to the relic you are searching for, leading you through centuries of power and prestige of the comital dynasty. The Château de Neuchâtel, a National Monument, is an essential stop on your thematic circuit.

Next to the castle, the Collegiate Church of Neuchâtel, classified as a Swiss historical monument in 1969, is a Romanesque masterpiece built from 1185 to 1225. Its Gothic portal, added around 1300, and its 22-meter high nave, house the tombs of the counts of Neuchâtel, including that of Rodolphe, who died in 1312, with his 13th-century sculpted effigies. It is in this sacred place, rich in the history of Neuchâtel, that you decipher ancient symbols and hidden messages among the stones. The Collegiate Church of Neuchâtel, listed in the PBC Inventory, is a silent witness to princely destinies and the mysteries surrounding your quest.

Your path then leads you to the Tour des Prisons, a 12th-century medieval tower, 25 meters high, and an integral part of the Château de Neuchâtel's ramparts. Used as a prison until the 19th century, with its underground dungeons, it was restored in 1980 and is now open to the public with an exhibition on carceral history. Nearby, the Prison des Cisterciennes, a 12th-13th century building adjacent to the Collegiate Church, transformed into a prison in the 19th century, retains vestiges of the Cistercian monastery dissolved in 1536 during the Reformation. Its Gothic facade with ogival windows, restored in 2005, is another piece of the puzzle. These dark but historically rich places in Neuchâtel reveal crucial clues to locate the relic.

The final act of your exploration takes you towards Rue de l'Hôpital, a 14th-century cobbled alley in the historic Halles district, lined with 17th-18th century arcaded houses, and then to the Latacré district, about 1 km away. Latacré, a former 18th-century watchmaking working-class district, with its 1750-1850 workshop-houses, has been classified as a historical ensemble since 1978. These places, typical of Neuchâtel's watchmaking urban fabric, are the final scene of your quest. By solving the last riddles, you understand the link between the comital past and the rise of the Neuchâtel watchmaking industry, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Vallée de Joux, and you discover the truth about the relic, thus completing your interactive tour of Neuchâtel.