Crematoria La Chaux-de-Fonds, Crematorium in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

The crematorium of La Chaux-de-Fonds stands in the Charrière cemetery. Its plan centres on an open vestibule and a monumental staircase leading to the ceremony hall, with technical rooms in the basement. The base is Jura limestone and the facades are cut from whitish limestone; the north-east front has a painted semicircular arch and two statues by Charles L'Eplattenier, while the side facades carry his mosaics of 1926-1927.

The communal cemetery at La Charrière was laid out in 1851. A petition with 107 signatures in 1890 led the town to offer land for a crematorium, and the 1894 revision of Neuchâtel's burial law legalized cremation. In 1908 Ali Jeanrenaud donated 30,000 francs, enabling construction from August 1908; the crematorium entered service in November 1909 and was inaugurated on 27 June 1910.

The decoration was made by Charles L'Eplattenier with his students, grouped as the Ateliers d'art réunis, in an Art Nouveau spirit. The north-west mosaic shows a funeral procession toward the beyond, while the south-east one depicts the family and the triumph of life.

The building is accessible Monday through Friday in the morning from 8:00 to 11:30 and in the afternoon from 14:00 to 16:30. Plan ahead since it serves primarily ceremonial purposes and access may be limited.

In 1979 the building narrowly escaped demolition thanks to the good working order of its furnaces; a funeral centre was then added instead. The bronze figure Vers l'idéal, donated by Charles L'Eplattenier in 1909, stands on the roof ridge and follows the smoke of the deceased with its gaze and a raised arm toward the sky.