Biel/Bienne

Biel/Bienne, the largest bilingual town in Switzerland, situated midway between Geneva, Basel and Zurich, spans two cultures, those of the French- and German-speaking regions of Switzerland.

The town’s rich identity lies in its urban landscape and surrounding areas. The old town in the centre of the city is a monument to its glorious past, a reminder of the dynamism with which the modern conglomeration was built. Beyond, the gentle countryside nestles between lake and mountains. Water abounds in Biel/Bienne and in the Three Lakes region, a land determinedly reclaimed from the marshes.

Biel/Bienne and Neuchâtel are situated along the same Jura mountain chain and share common cultural and economic traditions, which very early on turned the towns into a showcase for the watchmaking industry. More recently, as the economic landscape was transformed by significant structural changes, Biel/Bienne successfully invented other strategies to pursue its expansion. Today, while continuing to develop its industrial expertise in the watchmaking and micromechanical sectors, Biel/Bienne has branched out into the service sector, where it is particularly strong in telecommunications and information technology.