La Chaux-de-Fonds

La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds
Country Switzerland Canton Neuchâtel District La Chaux-de-Fonds 47°6.08′N 6°49.5′E / 47.10133°N 6.825°E / 47.10133; 6.825Coordinates: 47°6.08′N 6°49.5′E / 47.10133°N 6.825°E / 47.10133; 6.825
Population	37,023 (December 2007[update])
- Density	665 /km2 (1,723 /sq mi)
Area	55.66 km2 (21.49 sq mi)
Elevation	1,000 m (3,281 ft)
Postal code	2300
SFOS number	6421
Mayor	Jean-Pierre Veya PdA/PST
Surrounded by	Fontaines, Fournet-Blancheroche (FR-25), Grand'Combe-des-Bois (FR-25), La Ferrière (BE), La Sagne, Le Locle, Les Bois (JU), Les Fontenelles (FR-25), Les Hauts-Geneveys, Les Planchettes, Renan (BE)
Twin towns	Winterthur (Switzerland), Frameries (Belgium)
Website	www.chaux-de-fonds.ch Profile (French), SFSO statistics

La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, watchmaking town planning*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Switzerland
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iv
Reference	1302
Region**	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	2009  (33rd Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

La Chaux-de-Fonds is the capital city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.

It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometers from the French border. After Geneva and Lausanne, it is the third largest city in the French-speaking part of the country.

Unesco World Heritage Sites

The watchmaking cities of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle have jointly received recognition from UNESCO for their exceptional universal value. . This makes it the tenth Swiss site to be awarded World Heritage status, joining others such as the Old City of Berne, the Rhaetian Railway and the Convent of St. Gallen.

History

The region was first inhabited around 10,000 years ago (Epipaleolithic). A skull and other traces have been found in caves nearby.

City of La Chaux-de-Fonds in winter

In the middle of the 14th century, the forests found there have been colonised from the south. The region was under the authority of the lords of Valangin. Agriculture was the main activity. The first church was built in 1528. The city became at the end of the 16th century an important crossroad between Neuchâtel and Franche-Comté.

The community grew during the Thirty Years' War, mainly because of its strategic position for trade. But economic activity really begins in the 18th century with the development of lace and watchmaking industry. Pierre Jacquet-Droz and his family is one of the most famous watchmakers of this time. He is best known for his automata.

In 1794, the city was devastated by fire. Charles-Henri Junod created the new city's plan in 1835, and the city is now known for its "modern," grid-like plan, in comparison with most European cities' meandering streets.^[1][2] The central avenue is named the Avenue Léopold Robert.

Culture

Villa Jeanneret-Perret (Maison Blanche) by Le Corbusier

La Chaux-de-Fonds is the home of the Musée International d'Horlogerie (International Clockmaking Museum), originally constructed with funds donated by the Gallet watchmaking family in 1899. The Museum is considered as an important showcase for the history of the timekeeping arts.^{[citation needed]}

Art Nouveau had a great influence on architecture and culture in the city during the late 19th century.

The daily newspaper L'Impartial has been published in La Chaux-de-Fonds since 1880.

The Wakker Prize was granted to La-Chaux-de-Fonds in 1994.

Economy

The city's economy is based on industry and watch manufacturers. Famous watchmaking manufacturers include Cartier, Girard-Perregaux founded in Geneva in 1791, TAG Heuer, Corum, Cartier, Breitling, Juvenia, the British Masters, Movado, Ulysse Nardin, Invicta, Gallet and others.

Transport

City bus

The city is served by Les Eplatures Airport and has a trolleybus transport system.

Weather

Weather averages for La-Chaux-de-Fonds
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	2.1 (36)	2.9 (37)	5 (41)	8.8 (48)	13.3 (56)	16.9 (62)	19.7 (67)	19.1 (66)	16.5 (62)	12.7 (55)	6.5 (44)	3.2 (38)	10.6 (51)
Daily Mean °C (°F)	-2 (28)	-1 (30)	1 (34)	4.3 (40)	8.5 (47)	11.7 (53)	14.3 (58)	13.7 (57)	11.3 (52)	7.4 (45)	1.8 (35)	-1.2 (30)	5.8 (42)
Average low °C (°F)	-6.4 (20)	-5.5 (22)	-3.5 (26)	-0.1 (32)	3.6 (38)	6.6 (44)	8.7 (48)	8.3 (47)	6.1 (43)	2.9 (37)	-2 (28)	-4.9 (23)	1.2 (34)
Precipitation mm (inches)	112 (4.41)	112 (4.41)	106 (4.17)	105 (4.13)	135 (5.31)	137 (5.39)	116 (4.57)	127 (5)	107 (4.21)	99 (3.9)	126 (4.96)	124 (4.88)	1,406 (55.35)
Avg. precipitation days	13.9	12	13.9	13.8	15.5	13.9	10.8	12.2	10	10.3	12	12.8	151.1
Source: MeteoSchweiz [3] 8 May 2009

Notable people

Its most famous native sons are the architect Le Corbusier, born here as Charles-Edouard Jeanneret in 1887 (his first independent project as an architect, the Villa Jeanneret-Perret, is open to the public), Louis Chevrolet, born in 1878, founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company and Blaise Cendrars, novelist and poet, born as Frédéric Louis Sauser in 1887.

Other notable people born in La Chaux-de-Fonds include Armand Borel, a mathematician, Louis-Leopold Robert, a painter, born in 1794, Numa Droz, a politician, born in 1844, and Adrienne von Speyr, a modern Catholic mystic, born in 1902.

Among the watchmakers, are the Gallet family: ^[4]

• Julien Gallet (1806-1849), who moved north from Geneva to La Chaux de Fonds in 1826, founded Gallet & Cie;^[4]
• Lucien Gallet (1834-1879), son of Julien, who expanded the company into Chicago;^[4]
• Léon Gallet (1832-1899), eldest son of Julien and patriarch figure of the growing company.

Watch companies

La Chaux de Fonds has a long history with watch manufacturers. Invicta Watch Group was founded by Raphael Picard in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1837. Omega SA was founded there in 1848. In 1881, Achilles Ditesheim founded Movado. Hans Wilsdorf registered the trademark name "Rolex" in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1908. His company, Wilsdorf & Davis, was later renamed Rolex Watch Company. TAG Heuer, founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, is also headquartered in the city. Léon Gallet and his family founded the Gallet & Co. watchmaking company. Bouchet-Lassale SA was also founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1978.

Notes

1. ^ The Le Corbusier Guide, Google Books
2. ^ La Chaux-de-Fonds et le Locle, Swiss Tourism Site
3. ^ "Temperature and Percipitation Average Values-Table, 1961-1990" (in German, French, Italian). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss. http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/de/klima/klima_schweiz/tabellen.html. Retrieved on 8 May 2009. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Gallet Group Inc. - Gallet Geneva 1685 - History" (part 2), Gallet Group Inc., 2007, webpage: Gallet-hist.

References

• La Chaux-de-Fonds in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: La Chaux-de-Fonds

• Unesco World Heritage List: La Chaux-de-Fonds & Le Locle
• Official website of the City of La Chaux-de-Fonds
• Official website of the Gallet Watch Company
• La Chaux-de-Fonds in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• International watchmaking museum website
• The Art Nouveau season of events in the city

v • d • e Municipalities in the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland La Chaux-de-Fonds | La Sagne | Les Planchettes Canton of Neuchâtel | Districts of Canton Neuchâtel | Municipalities of the canton of Neuchâtel

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in Switzerland Old City of Bern · Convent of St. Gall · Convent of St. Johann · Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn · La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle · Lavaux Vineyard Terraces · Monte San Giorgio · Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes (shared with Italy) · Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona · Castles, Wall and Ramparts of Bellinzone