Town
St-Imier
The sturdy watch-making town of St-Imier is located between the mountains of Chasseral and Mont-Soleil, and can is a starting point for a number of excursions.
Esplanade des Collèges, Saint-Imier. © retoDuriet.com
A town shaped by watch-making
With its parallel streets and buildings with large windows to capture as much daylight as possible, Saint-Imier has been shaped by its past as a centre of the watch-making industry. The famous Longines watch-making factory, living testimony to this era, is located in its original building in the lower part of the town and extends along the La Suze river. An architectural jewel visible from afar!
The marked character which today still emerges from this region owes its origin to this precision industry. At one time the cultured skilled watchmakers had time enough to read in winter. This also explains why the Swiss anarchist movement was born in this region.
The Chasseral Regional Park
Saint-Imier is located in the heart of the Chasseral Regional Park. This park showcases the attractions of the region by its joint projects which respect nature and the inhabitants of the area.
Starting point for a number of excursions
The mountainous countryside surrounding St-Imier is ideally suited to outdoor leisure activities. Walking, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding, scooter or e-bike excursions - there is something for everyone in the summer here. All these activities on Mont-Soleil can be reached by funicular railway, or by bus in the case of the Chasseral. In winter snow lovers can take advantage of an enormous network of cross-country skiing trails, or practice their skills with snow-shoes; alpine skiers are well catered for at Bugnenets-Savagnières.
With its parallel streets and buildings with large windows to capture as much daylight as possible, Saint-Imier has been shaped by its past as a centre of the watch-making industry. The famous Longines watch-making factory, living testimony to this era, is located in its original building in the lower part of the town and extends along the La Suze river. An architectural jewel visible from afar!
The marked character which today still emerges from this region owes its origin to this precision industry. At one time the cultured skilled watchmakers had time enough to read in winter. This also explains why the Swiss anarchist movement was born in this region.
The Chasseral Regional Park
Saint-Imier is located in the heart of the Chasseral Regional Park. This park showcases the attractions of the region by its joint projects which respect nature and the inhabitants of the area.
Starting point for a number of excursions
The mountainous countryside surrounding St-Imier is ideally suited to outdoor leisure activities. Walking, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding, scooter or e-bike excursions - there is something for everyone in the summer here. All these activities on Mont-Soleil can be reached by funicular railway, or by bus in the case of the Chasseral. In winter snow lovers can take advantage of an enormous network of cross-country skiing trails, or practice their skills with snow-shoes; alpine skiers are well catered for at Bugnenets-Savagnières.
Good to know
Good to know
- The brochure "On foot" describes a walking tour of about 1 hour to discover this small town
- It is available from the tourism offices
Links & PDFs
Links & PDFs
