La Chaux-de-Fonds, Watchmaking city in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a city in the canton of Neuchâtel in western Switzerland, sitting on a high plateau in the Jura at just under 1000 meters above sea level. It forms a grid of wide streets lined with residential and workshop buildings of the watchmaking industry.
After a fire in 1794, the town was rebuilt following a grid plan that provided wide, light-filled streets for homes and workshops. This redesign shaped the foundation of a settlement that remains defined by its ordered structure today.
At the International Museum of Watchmaking, displays show mechanisms and timepieces that document three centuries of local craft and technical skill. The exhibition walks visitors through the workshops and inventions that made this place a center of precision engineering.
Trains connect the town regularly with Biel, Neuchâtel and Lausanne, with journeys taking between 30 and 90 minutes depending on the destination. The town center can be explored on foot, with most buildings and museums located along the main axes.
The buildings combine living spaces on upper floors with workshops on the ground floor and basement, so that light enters the workrooms through tall windows. This arrangement made daily life easier for watchmakers who could work at home while using natural light.
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