La Chaux-de-Fonds: Watchmaking, Art Nouveau and Nature

La Chaux-de-Fonds is considered a mountain town in the Canton of Neuchâtel. Watchmaking remains an active part of the city. Together with Le Locle, La Chaux-de-Fonds is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its grid-pattern street plans; the layout was designed to give workshops as much daylight as possible. The Musée international d’horlogerie houses the world’s largest collection on the history of timekeeping. This brings together two perspectives for understanding the city: watchmaking, which is still active today, and the historical development of timekeeping reflected in the collection.

Art Nouveau in the Streets

Art Nouveau also has its own local expression in La Chaux-de-Fonds: the «Sapin» style originated here. The Balade Art Nouveau takes visitors through the city streets with the help of a free brochure, in search of visible or hidden Art Nouveau features. Guided tours are available on request. This lets you choose between exploring with the brochure and requesting a guided tour. Check whether the brochure is available before your trip.

Museums and Visible Urban History

The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire houses three mechanical automata created by Pierre Jaquet-Droz in the 1770s. While the Musée international d’horlogerie features a collection on the history of timekeeping, this museum focuses on three individual automata. At the Ancien manège, the magnificent courtyard and frescoes are the reasons to visit. The municipal coat of arms features an eleven-part blue-and-silver chequerboard pattern representing the eleven historic quarters of the former municipal district. Together, these features offer different insights: mechanical works of art, architectural design and the former municipal structure.

Wildlife and the Outdoors

At the Bois du Petit-Château site, MUZOO brings together the natural history museum and the zoo. The zoo is free and features mammals and birds from regional, European and domesticated fauna. The vivarium showcases species from the wildlife of all five continents; access is through the museum entrance with a combined ticket. The zoo focuses on mammals and birds from several groups of fauna, while the vivarium offers a view of species from all five continents.

Another nature-focused attraction is the «Sentier nature sur les flancs de Pouillerel» nature trail, which features six animal sculptures and thirteen information panels. The Le Valanvron Tour is another way to explore the landscape by bike. It leads through typical Jura scenery with pastures, dry-stone walls, cows and fir trees. The two nature activities have different focuses: on the trail, sculptures and panels provide information about nature, while the cycling tour highlights the landscape. So when choosing between them, consider whether you would rather explore a topic through interpretive stops or while cycling.

When looking for a hotel in La Chaux-de-Fonds, your travel interests can be a useful first filter: watchmaking and Art Nouveau, urban history or nature each offer a different focus.

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