Chaux-de-Fonds, La
Switzerland
Chaux-de-Fonds, La
La Chaux-de-Fonds, town, Neuchâtel canton, western Switzerland. It is situated in the Jura Mountains, near the French border, northwest of Neuchâtel city. First mentioned in the 14th century, it was chartered in 1656 and was almost completely rebuilt after a fire in 1794. The watchmaking industry was established there in the early 18th century, and the town remains a centre of Swiss watch manufacturing; in 2009 La Chaux-de-Fonds and nearby Le Locle, another watchmaking town, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. La Chaux-de-Fonds has schools of watchmaking, music, art, and commerce, as well as several museums. Machinery and printing are also significant. The population is chiefly Protestant and French-speaking. Pop. (2006 est.) 47,035.
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