La Chaux-de-Fonds
Origin of the name La Chaux-de-Fonds
The place appears around 1350 in the form "la Chaz de Fonz", then in 1378 as "Chault de Font". The exact meaning of the name is not established with certainty: the first element, "chaux", is often linked to a regional term for a pasture or bare ground on the Jura heights, and "fonds" to a valley floor or a spring; this interpretation is still to be cross-checked against a specialised place-name source.
Founding of La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds was not founded all at once. The site was settled late, from the middle of the 14th century, by people from the Val-de-Ruz, on land belonging to the lord of Valangin; a second wave of settlement of the Neuchâtel Jura, in the 15th and 16th centuries, set out from the "Clos de la Franchise", freed in 1372 by Jean II d'Aarberg. The village got a church in 1528, consecrated by the bishop of Besançon, and its parish boundaries were fixed in 1550 by René de Challant. On 2 December 1656, Henri II d'Orléans-Longueville signed the act making La Chaux-de-Fonds a separate mairie (administrative and judicial district); Abraham Robert (1619-1679) was its first mayor. It was watchmaking, arriving from Geneva in the early 18th century, that turned this mountain village into a large industrial town, especially after its reconstruction following the fire of 1794.
History of La Chaux-de-Fonds
10'300-9000 BC. Epipalaeolithic occupation of the Grotte du Bichon; a human skull was discovered there in 1956. The so-called "Grotte des boîtiers" has yielded remains from the same period.
mid-14th century. Settlement of the site begins with people from the Val-de-Ruz, on the lands of the lord of Valangin.
around 1350. First known mention of the place, in the form "la Chaz de Fonz".
1372. Jean II d'Aarberg frees the "Clos de la Franchise", from which a second wave of settlement of the Neuchâtel mountains sets out in the 15th and 16th centuries.
1528. A first church is built, dedicated to Saint Humbert and consecrated by the bishop of Besançon.
1531. The place has about 35 inhabitants.
1530s. Adoption of the Reformation.
1550. René de Challant fixes the parish boundaries.
2 December 1656. Henri II d'Orléans-Longueville signs the act establishing the mairie of La Chaux-de-Fonds; Abraham Robert becomes its first mayor.
1688. The first communal school opens.
early 18th century. Watchmaking, spreading from Geneva, takes root in the village; leading figures include Josué Robert, "watchmaker to the king", and Pierre Jaquet-Droz, famous with his family for his automata.
1750. The population reaches 2'363.
night of 4-5 May 1794. An accidental fire destroys 52 buildings, including the temple and the parsonage, leaving more than 170 families homeless but causing no deaths. Reconstruction is directed by the engraver Moïse Perret-Gentil following a geometric plan.
1812. Creation of the commune of Les Planchettes.
1834. Foundation of the Catholic parish.
1835. Town plan by Charles-Henri Junod, organising the town's growth in a grid of parallel streets mixing housing and workshops.
1 March 1848. During the Neuchâtel revolution, a republican column from the mountains led by Fritz Courvoisier marches down on Neuchâtel; La Chaux-de-Fonds then becomes the economic hub of the canton.
1850. The population reaches 12'638.
1851. Creation of the municipality, with a General Council of 40 members.
1857. Arrival of the railway.
1865. Foundation of the watchmaking school.
1878. Birth in La Chaux-de-Fonds of Louis Chevrolet (1878-1941), the future car maker.
1887. Arrival of drinking water collected on the left bank of the Areuse, celebrated in 1888 by the Grande Fontaine. In the same year Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, the future Le Corbusier (1887-1965), is born.
1896. Inauguration of the great synagogue.
around 1900. Under the influence of Charles L'Eplattenier the "Style sapin" develops, a local variant of Art Nouveau inspired by the flora and fauna of the Jura.
1900. The commune of Les Eplatures (about 1'500 inhabitants) is incorporated into La Chaux-de-Fonds.
1910. The population reaches 37'751.
1912. Le Corbusier builds the Villa Jeanneret-Perret, known as the "Maison blanche", for his parents.
1912. The Social Democratic party becomes dominant in local politics.
1916-1917. Le Corbusier builds the Villa Schwob, known as the "Villa turque".
1918. The town takes part in the general strike.
1919. The Grand-Temple is destroyed by fire.
1921. The Grand-Temple is rebuilt after the fire of 1919 (its tower dates from the late 18th century).
1934. Creation of ORIN, a body intended to diversify the local economy.
1944. Foundation of the Club 44.
1955. Inauguration of the Salle de musique, renowned for its acoustics.
1970. The population reaches its historic peak: 42'347.
1974. Opening of the International Museum of Horology.
1975. The watchmaking crisis hits the town hard: in one year it loses more than 1'000 inhabitants and more than 2'000 jobs.
June 2009. "La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning" is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Population of La Chaux-de-Fonds
| 1531 | 35 (about) |
| 1615 | 355 |
| 1661 | 495 |
| 1715 | 702 |
| 1750 | 2'363 |
| 1775 | 3'234 |
| 1800 | 4'927 |
| 1825 | 5'858 |
| 1850 | 12'638 |
| 1880 | 23'818 |
| 1910 | 37'751 |
| 1930 | 35'252 |
| 1950 | 33'300 |
| 1970 | 42'347 |
| 1990 | 36'894 |
| 2000 | 37'016 |
| 2025 | 37'844 |
Historic sites in La Chaux-de-Fonds
Watchmaking town planning (UNESCO World Heritage). Rebuilt after the fire of 1794 and then extended according to the plan of Charles-Henri Junod (1835), the town is laid out in parallel strips where housing and workshops are intermingled. Together with Le Locle, it has been on the World Heritage List since June 2009 as an outstanding example of an urban ensemble entirely devoted to watchmaking. Karl Marx referred to it in Capital as a huge "factory-town".
International Museum of Horology. Opened in 1974, it traces the development of the technique and art of time measurement.
Le Corbusier's houses. Born in the town in 1887, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, built his first works here: Villa Fallet (1906), Villas Stotzer and Jacquemet (1907-1908), Villa Jeanneret-Perret or "Maison blanche" (1912) and Villa Schwob or "Villa turque" (1916-1917).
Grande Fontaine. Monument of 1888 commemorating the arrival in 1887 of drinking water collected on the left bank of the Areuse, a decisive step for a mountain town with no river.
Grand-Temple. Church rebuilt in 1921 after the fire of 1919, whose tower dates from the late 18th century, in the heart of the old village destroyed by the fire of 1794.
Salle de musique. Opened in 1955, it is renowned for its exceptional acoustics and has hosted a great many recordings.
Remains in La Chaux-de-Fonds
Grotte du Bichon. This cave has yielded traces of Epipalaeolithic occupation (10'300-9000 BC) and a human skull discovered in 1956. The so-called "Grotte des boîtiers" has also provided remains from this period. They are the oldest evidence of human presence on the commune's territory.
Tower of the Grand-Temple. Dating from the late 18th century, it is older than the present church, rebuilt in 1921, and dates from the period after the fire of 1794.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Chaux-de-Fonds, La »
- Wikipédia FR, « La Chaux-de-Fonds »
- UNESCO, « La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, urbanisme horloger »
- RTN, « L'incendie de La Chaux-de-Fonds, 230 ans plus tard » (4 mai 2024)
- Portail statistique du canton de Neuchâtel, « La population en 2025 »
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 4 février 2026 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2025
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near La Chaux-de-Fonds
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