Switzerland's business travellers tend to concentrate on a few emblematic destinations: GenevaBasel, Lausanne and Zurich. And yet, in the shadow of these four metropolises, lives another, more discreet, prosperous Switzerland. A Switzerland that is nonetheless an alternative for a conference, an incentive trip or simply as an extension of a business trip.
Switzerland's advantage is its small surface area. And a rail network that makes even the smallest town easily accessible. In general, you are rarely more than an hour away from a major city by train. The network of Swiss Railways SBB is a model of its kind in Europe, with an extraordinary density of stations and punctuality like clockwork.
Time. It's true that the Swiss practice it to perfection. Already with their legendary punctuality - which can sometimes prove irritating. And also in the mastery of its representation. In many towns and cities, clocks have marked - and still mark - the daily lives of the inhabitants. And many of them have become emblematic symbols of their city. In Berne, for example, the Zytglogge tower (a Bernese dialect derived from the German for 'clock tower') features on all the city's souvenirs. But in Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Solothurn and Zurich, too, you can't help but admire these giant clocks which dominate the urban mass of houses. Masterpieces of precision and art with their sculptures...
The notion of time, a reflection of the Swiss psyche
And then there's watchmaking, again a world closely associated with Switzerland. An industry whose origins, according to legend, date back to the 14th century, and which originated in the high valleys and mountains of the Neuchâtel region. For the transhumance of livestock and to preserve the rhythm of the seasons, these farmers made timepieces, the forerunners of clocks. During the long winters, these mountain dwellers did not remain idle and were busy repairing their farming tools, including the clock mechanism.
In the 17th century, the Huguenots who had been expelled from France also settled along the Jura arc, between Geneva and Schaffhausen, near the Rhine. The Neuchâtel region was to concentrate much of this watchmaking activity.. By the end of the 18th century, almost 140,000 watches were being produced in Geneva and the Neuchâtel Jura mountains. Finally, in the 19th century, two towns, Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds, were built around watchmaking. The development of these two towns met the needs of the industry and formed what is now recognised as the heart of the world's watchmaking industry.
The two towns then turned entirely to watchmaking, with streets laid out to match the needs of the industry, interweaving housing and workshops. According to UNESCO, " these sites are remarkable examples of towns organised around a single-industry activity, well preserved and still in use".. Such effective planning that, in Le CapitalKarl Marx used the watchmaking industry in the Swiss Jura as an example, and coined the term "La Chaux-de-Fonds" to describe the town. factory town" .
This tradition of excellence continues today and can be the theme of a journey through the world of time. These strolls will take you on a tour of three towns that are veritable architectural gems. The pale stone of Neuchâtel, with its imposing 18th-century houses in the French classical style, contrasts with the light, luminous grey of Fribourg's 200 Gothic patrician houses, one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Switzerland.
The high point of such a trip is at Berne, the capital of the Confederation. In its old town, nestling along the River Aare, you can wander beneath six kilometres of arcades, past Renaissance and Baroque houses. Only the rustle of water in the fountains and the clocks striking the hours disturb the tranquillity of the old town. Unless they are in praise of the slow passage of time.
