Biel The town of Biel, the metropolis of Swiss watchmaking, lies at the eastern end of Lake Biel, at the foot of the Jura in the delightful Lake Region. The charm of bilingualism, the intact old town and its location as the gateway to the three peripheral Jura lakes (Lakes Biel, Neuchâtel and Murten) make the town an attractive starting point, but also a destination for excursions. Tourismus Biel Seeland Bahnhofplatz 2501 Biel/Bienne T +41 (0)32 329 84 84 F +41 (0)32 329 84 85
[email protected] http://www.biel-seeland.ch 200 m 1000 ft Biel is the only town in Switzerland in which German and French are spoken side by side in equal measure. One senses the relaxed mentality here resulting from the mixture of these two languages. In 2002, Biel was one of the four exhibition locations for EXPO. Architecturally, Biel is a town of many facets. The modern part of the city with its high-rise buildings lies at lake level which then gives way, on a slight incline, to the intact old town with its gothic town church stemming from the 15th century. In 2004, Biel was awarded the Wakker Prize by the Swiss Heritage Society for the exemplary manner in which it conserved its, in part, outstanding stock of © MySwitzerland.com - Schweiz Tourismus - Page 1/15 20th century buildings. Examples can be found in the new town, where uniform districts built in the ‘new construction’ style came into being in the 1920s and ‘30s. General Info Canton: Berne The town of Biel is a tradition-imbued watch metropolis in which this Swiss craft is still fostered.