La Chaux-de-Fonds
Switzerland
Watchmaking shaped La Chaux-de-Fonds so completely that the town was rebuilt after an 1794 fire on a grid street plan designed to serve the industry — a layout unique among Swiss cities and part of why it earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2009, jointly with neighbouring Le Locle. High in the Jura Mountains near the French border, it is also a centre of Art Nouveau architecture and the birthplace of Le Corbusier, Louis Chevrolet, and writer Blaise Cendrars.
- Population37,942
- Nearest water0.3 km
- Nearest mountain1.9 km
- UNESCO within 50 km27