La Chaux de-Fonds

Streets criss-cross and intersect cutting through the city like stripes on a plaid shirt. However, these girded streets we traversed were not of some North American city, it was in La Chaux de-Fonds, Switzerland in the heart of Europe. Though it shouldn’t feel out of the ordinary for me, I found it difficult to reconcile the European facades with the American planning style. The city of La Chaux de-Fonds chose to have a gridded system after a fire destroyed the town in the late 18^th century. When walking along the street I noticed at least three episodes where vehicle accidents nearly occurred. I was a bit surprised because generally the drivers of the French- speaking part of Switzerland had appeared to be better than their Ticinese counterparts. However upon further examination of the road I noticed more oddities.

First, the streets instead of having traffic lights only had stop signs. This would have been all well and good if the streets weren’t heavily used, but even in the mid-afternoon the streets were rather well traveled. This concern of safety was reflected in that the stop signs had blinking lights coupled with a clearly marked line dictating where motorists should stop. This line was the second feature that worried me as it was a good meter and a half after the stop sign. This penetrated the road just enough space where one could lose a headlight to a vehicle coming down the steep road above. I suppose the locals adapt but drivers from nearby cantons appeared to be having a more difficult time. I do not believe they were accustomed to the mixture of grid layout and European driving styles.

But La Chaux de-Fonds isn’t only notable for being a city with the grid system but it also is a UNESCO World Heritage status for its monoculture watch industry. Marx certainly would have been proud of the city where the people own the means of their production. All social ideology aside, I am fascinated by its political and social identity and would loved to have learned more about it. What a strange and interesting specimen of political and economic character. To have an entire town focused on a single industry in this day in age is truly intriguing. The watch museum we visited gave an excellent history relating to the development of the watch making industry. What is truly telling of the Swiss is how quality and innovation in the face of competition have allowed this country to remain at the top of the watch making market despite its high cost of manufacturing.

Although the industry in La Chaux de-Fonds is so quintessentially Swiss the rest of the city felt so very un-Swiss. As a resident of Switzerland for three plus years I am always surprised and reminded that there are few characteristics I can call Swiss. The levels of nationalism, regionalism, and localism make it difficult to decidedly define anything as being Swiss. The history and experiences of the various regions continue to permeate even though some of these original identities formed some 800 years ago when the Swiss confederation began to form. Though this point is often belabored it is still important when trying to adapt to the country. Sometimes the Swiss French are just as confused in Ticino as Americans are. The linguistic barriers coupled with the culture differences make Switzerland as a whole very indigestible in one bite. La Chaux de-Fonds proves this. Though I have been to 20 of the 26 cantons there are still gems like the La Chaux de-Fonds to prove I am as ignorant as the day I stepped into the country. This is good news for it reminds me to adventure on.

--Michael Thomas