Excursion: La Chaux-de-Fonds in Canton Neuchâtel
Next to Le Locle lies the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds, population 37,000. As with Le Locle, watchmaking was established there early on and La Chaux-de-Fonds remains the center of the Swiss watchmaking industry. An example: Rolex was registered there in 1908 though it is now headquartered in Geneva. Movado, Omega and TAG Heuer are some of the watch companies that are still based in La Chaux-de-Fonds. There is something weird about seeing the buildings carrying the company logos, right next to grazing cows.
Unusually for a Swiss town, La Chaux-de-Fonds is built on a grid plan, with wide boulevards as seen in this photo (the view in the other direction can be seen on my overflow blog.) How come? A devastating fire in 1794 burned down most of the town and the city planners decided to rebuild it this way, with special consideration given to natural light (important for the watch making process), resistance against the spreading of fire and space needed for gardens to grow their own food. (Much of the garden space now seems to have been taken over by parking spots.)
La Chaux-de-Fonds on the Swiss tourism website.
20050731 Canon Powershot S410
6 comments:
Interesting to plan the town based on natural light for watchmaking! A lot of thought went into it.
But ... the place is deserted! Was it early on a Sunday?
These are interesting posts. I agree about the incongruity of cows and watchmaking.
They grey building in the foreground is a bit uglier than the others. Shame that most of the greenery has been dispensed with.
I have never been there before, but it looks like a lovely village.
Very interesting and nice visits of this town. Come and see a straw tractor today on my blog.
Julie: It was a Sunday. It was a nice day, so maybe people were out hiking or picnicking in the surrounding green areas. I also naturally tend to wait until people clear off as I feel I'm violating their privacy if I intend to publish their images on the blog without their knowledge or permission.
Great photo and great story. I think that I’d like to visit one day!
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