Experiences in La Chaux-de-Fonds

A listed historical monument, this museum houses an impressive collection of art.

La Chaux-de-Fonds is more closely associated with watches than perhaps any other town or city. Located at an altitude of 1,000 metres above sea level, its streets are laid out in a chessboard pattern. This successful symbiosis between urban development and the watchmaking industry has led to the city being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. La Chaux-de-Fonds is also the birthplace of Le Corbusier.

Dedicated to the history of timekeeping, the Musée International d'Horlogerie (MIH) is home to more than 4,500 collection pieces, of which 2,700 watches and around 700 wall clocks. The technical, artistic, social and economic aspect of the history of watchmaking is illustrated here in living manner.

As his first project, Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, who later called himself Le Corbusier, built the Maison Blanche for his parents on the hills of his native town. This architectural masterpiece served this world-famous architect as a laboratory for his first construction techniques.