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The City of Biel/Bienne is situated directly at the beautiful Lake with vineyards along the northside. It is located on the language boundary and is bilingual throughout. Biel is the German name for the town and Bienne its French counterpart.
About 60% speak German, about 40% French. The city is officially bilingual, and is the biggest bilingual city in Switzerland. In addition some 150 nationalities are represented in Biel/Bienne. In recent years the city has wisely used its linguistic assets as an economic advantage, becoming the Swiss City of Communication. There are several call centres that have been created in or around Biel/Bienne, in addition to the traditional businesses established in the city and surrounding areas, which have always exported most of their production worldwide.
The city and its neighbourhood thrive on precision and micro mechanics, the conception and manufacture of highly specialised production oriented machinery and tools-products exported worldwide. Biel is also said to be the capital of the Swiss watchmaking industry, hosting the Rolex production center and the Swatch headquarters.
The origin of the city has been traced to the times when Celts settled in the region. At the time it was called Belenus, after a Celtic deity. The Romans later inhabited the area. The township itself was built in the 11th century, and in 1275 it was chartered.
Biel/Bienne has remained under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Basel for hundreds of years. In 1279 the town entered an alliance with Berne which was made permanent in 1352. There have been several conflicts between the inhabitants of Biel/Bienne and the Bishop of Basel Reform. In 1798 Biel/Bienne was invaded by French troops. After Napoleon’s collapse, the town became a part of the Canton of Berne in 1815. The medieval core of the old town is still preserved and makes it one of the most beautiful in all of Switzerland.
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