La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a town in western Switzerland, famous for its watch-making industry. The very specialized local economy led to a particular urban landscape, which made it into a UNESCO-World-Heritage site. The city is structures on an rectangular grid, with long buildings going from east to west. That way, they would have large south-facades, improving the natural illumination in the watch-making workshops. Buildings would often house industrial and residential facilities at the same time. We also talk about the architect Le Corbusier, who was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
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Gallery
Links & Show-Notes
- At minute 10:14 we talk about the “Espace de l’urbanisme horloger”
- At 21:11 we say “Email”, but in English it’s actually called Vitreous Enamel. It was also used for watch dials.
- At 21:46 we mistakenly use Art Deco as the English term for Art Nouveau, while in fact they are distinct movements. However it’s safe to say that both had their influence in La Chaux-de-Fonds to decorate the watches. The staircases of the residential buildings we talked about are clearly on the Art Nouveau side.
- At 22:45 we discuss the Maison Blanche, also called Villa Jeanneret-Perret.
- At 23:04 we talk about how the first buildings of Le Corbusier used a local decorative style inspired by Art Nouveau, the Style Sapin (Fir-Style).
- Spelling of the buildings we mention at 24:21: Unitè d’Habitation and Villa Savoye.
- At 26:43 we talk about the thematic walking tours you can do. Here you can download the official brochures, which include convenient maps.
- At 28:17 the name of the Brasserie is “Le Terminus”.
- Spelling at 26:34: Neuchatel
- Spelling for the hike at 26:34: Le Creux du Van, an impressive place! Here you can find a map of the hike.
Episode Chapters
- 00:00:19 Location and Geography
- 00:01:50 A Town of Watchmakers
- 00:04:20 Importance of watches
- 00:04:20 Urbanism of the City
- 00:15:28 Residential Buildings
- 00:19:30 Expectations
- 00:21:07 Le Corbusier
- 00:22:45 Maison Blanche
- 00:27:02 Zoo
- 00:27:32 Ancien Menage