Le Locle: Watchmaking Culture, Museums and Ice Sports
Accommodation in Region Le Locle
Le Locle is considered the birthplace of the watchmaking industry. The La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle UNESCO World Heritage Site is an exceptional urban ensemble built for the watchmaking industry. Within this shared urban ensemble, residential houses designed for homeworking stand alongside patronal houses, workshops and later factories.
Culture and Urban History
The watchmaking trail comprises 39 stops and showcases Le Locle’s exceptional watchmaking heritage. The «Temps et Urbanisme» room on the third and top floor of the Town Hall offers a more in-depth perspective. There, the history of Le Locle’s watchmaking urban development is presented via multimedia terminals. In addition, the tourist train offers a 40-minute introduction to the reasons why Le Locle’s watchmaking urban development was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The tour of the Manufacture Zenith also focuses on the practical side of this tradition. It presents numerous watchmaking professions and the manufacturing process of a watch – from designing the movement and processing the components to assembly. At the Musée d’horlogerie in Château des Monts, an extensive collection traces 500 years of watchmaking history.
Underground, the Moulins souterrains du Col-des-Roches are an industrial monument unique in Europe. Hydraulic mills can be seen 23 metres underground. The Musée des Beaux-Arts Le Locle complements the museum landscape with monographic and thematic exhibitions.
Museums and Independent Discoveries
The Exomusée in Le Locle is an open-air museum featuring international murals and graffiti. It can be visited independently, with a guided tour or as part of a day programme with the Musée d’horlogerie. At Les Apprentis du temps, visitors can assemble their own mechanical watch and then take it home with them.
Another playful way to discover the town is the treasure hunt «La Chasse au Trésor des Clefs du Locle». It involves 15 keys hidden in the illustrations of the book «Les Clefs du Locle» by Marion Jiranek. The various formats therefore range from exhibitions and murals to a craft activity and a treasure hunt.
Nature and Trails
The Sentier nature leads through a wild forest reserve. Several educational panels installed in 2005 provide information about the significance and role of forests. The trail is designed as a two-hour walk. Le Locle’s recreational infrastructure also includes several kilometres of hiking and mountain biking trails.
The Parcours des fontaines links 28 fountains where drinking water is available. Alongside the forest reserve and longer trails, this provides the town with a route featuring numerous individual stops and accessible fountains.
Ice Sports and Tastings
The covered Patinoire du Communal allows visitors to practise all ice sports. The facility is deliberately open on the sides, allowing the surrounding nature to remain visible. Another recurring seasonal feature is the programme of events at Amplitude Vinothèque in Le Locle: around the equinoxes and solstices, four three-day wine tastings are held there each year.
Getting There and Tourist Information
The Musée d’horlogerie in Château des Monts can be reached by bus route 341 to the Château des Monts stop. PostBus route 381 runs to the Moulins souterrains stop for the Moulins souterrains du Col-des-Roches. The Musée des Beaux-Arts Le Locle can be reached by bus routes 341, 360 and 361 to the Marie-Anne Calame stop.
General tourist information and tourist brochures are available in Le Locle. Other destination pages: Les Brenets, Le Locle, Les Ponts-De-Martel, Brot-Plamboz, La Brévine
To the higher-level travel overview: Canton of Neuchâtel.
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