Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds is a city in Switzerland. It is located in the canton of Neuchâtel.
La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds is the third city of Suisse Romande after Geneva and Lausanne regarding to the number of inhabitants (37000). It is situated at a 1000 metre height, what makes it the highest city of Switzerland. The inhabitants of the Chaux-de-Fonds assert that it is about the highest European city containing more than 30000 inhabitants, rank which La Chaux-de-Fonfd shares in fact with Ségovie. On June 27th 2009, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle entered in the list of UNESCO world heritage due to the particular the urbanistic aspect related on the watch making industry. The region was first inhabited around 10,000 years ago (Epipaleolithic). A skull and other traces have been found in caves nearby. 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 has been built in 1528. The city became at the end of the 16th century an important crossroad between Neuchâtel and Franche-Comté (France). The community has grown 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, as a grid. The central avenue is named the Avenue Léopold Robert.  La Chaux-de-Fonds is very close to the Doubs Valley. Le Doubs is a river between Switzerland and France. Its main attraction is "Le Saut du Doubs" a 27 meters high waterfall in a beautiful landscape but you can walk for kilometers in wild and wonderfull sceneries. 
Art & Culture in La Chaux-de-FondsThe city holds the international watchmaking museum, showing the history of watches. Watchmaking companies such as Accurist have offices in the city. Art Nouveau had a great influence on architecture and culture in the city.  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. The alternative culture has well grown in La Chaux-de-Fonds with places like the Bikini Test that provides concerts during the weekends, l'ABC for meal, theatre, movies and exhibitions, 2300 Plan 9, an annual film festival or La plage des six-pompes, an annual arts of the street festival. For those you like theatre, you can go to L'Heure bleue(Av. Léopold Robert 27-29), TPR(Beau-Sites 30) and Zap theatre(Numa-Droz 137). For those about to rock and others, music is provided by the Bikini Test(Joux-Perret 3 www.bikinitest.ch), L'Heure bleue, la Cave du P'tit Paris(Progrès 4). They were natives from La Chaux-de-FondsThe most famous native sons of La Chaux-de-Fonds are the architect Le Corbusier that built, for example, La Maison Blanche(Chemin de Pouillerel 12), born here as Charles-Edouard Jeanneret in 1887, 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 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:
 Léon Gallet also commissioned the "Villa Gallet" (which still retains its original name) situated in the "Parc Gallet" in the southern part of the town from architect René Chapallaz, who was Le Corbusier's architecture teacher. The "Villa Gallet" is considered as an important contribution of "Art Nouveau" in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
During the winter, there are some alpin and nordic ski tracks in the area. How to come to La Chaux-de-Fonds?
Tourism informationThis is the official website of Neuchatel tourism office Tips
CouchSurfersThe local CS community of Neuchatel and neighborhood try to meet regularly since july 2007. To be aware of what's happening, do not hesitate to join Neuchatel group Stats:
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