Le Locle – Watchmaking, Nature and Special Discoveries

Le Locle is considered the birthplace of the watchmaking industry. In the joint urban ensemble of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle, houses designed for home working stand alongside patronal houses, workshops and later factories. The La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle UNESCO World Heritage Site is an exceptional urban ensemble built for the watchmaking industry.

Culture and History

The watchmaking trail comprises 39 stations and provides access to Le Locle’s exceptional watchmaking heritage. In the “Time and Urban Planning” area on the third and top floor of the Town Hall, the history of Le Locle’s watchmaking urban planning is presented via multimedia terminals. The tourist train offers a 40-minute introduction to the reasons why Le Locle’s watchmaking urban planning was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The guided tour of the Manufacture Zenith showcases numerous watchmaking professions and the watchmaking process – from designing the movement and processing the components to assembly. The Musée d’horlogerie in Château des Monts traces 500 years of watchmaking history through an extensive collection. Beneath the earth lie the Moulins souterrains du Col-des-Roches, an industrial monument unique in Europe, with hydraulic mills 23 metres underground.

Experiences

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.

The treasure hunt “La Chasse au Trésor des Clefs du Locle” revolves around 15 keys hidden in the illustrations of Marion Jiranek’s book “Les Clefs du Locle”. The covered Patinoire du Communal allows all ice sports to be practised; it is deliberately open at the sides so that the surrounding nature remains visible. Amplitude Vinothèque offers three-day wine tastings four times a year around the equinoxes and solstices.

Nature and Trails

The Sentier nature passes through a wild forest reserve and is a two-hour walk. Several information panels installed in 2005 provide information about the importance and role of forests. Le Locle’s recreational infrastructure includes several kilometres of hiking and mountain biking trails.

The Parcours des fontaines connects 28 fountains providing drinking water. Different formats, trail lengths and types of activities can be combined in personal day planning, without culture, exercise, nature or ice sports having to be the main focus.

Getting Around

The Musée d’horlogerie in Château des Monts can be reached by bus route 341 to the Château des Monts stop. PostBus route 381 takes you to the Moulins souterrains du Col-des-Roches, stopping at Moulins souterrains. The Musée des Beaux-Arts Le Locle can be reached by bus routes 341, 360 and 361 to the Marie-Anne Calame stop.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts Le Locle presents monographic and thematic exhibitions. General tourist information and tourist brochures are available in Le Locle. For further local discoveries, Les Brenets, Le Locle, Les Ponts-De-Martel, Brot-Plamboz, La Brévine and Le Cerneux-Péquignot are the direct places on this page.

Further Destinations

Further places within the same destination:

Val-De-Ruz.

To the overview of the higher-level destination: Neuchâtel.