Biel-Bienne: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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CHF 85 - 1,000 Hotel Dufour
 This hotel is situated in the centre of Biel, a few steps from the pedestrian streets, 2 minutes from the old town and 10 minutes from the lake and th… MoreCHF 95 - 295 Mercure Biel
 Located in the city centre next to the small Suze canal and the pedestrianised shopping zone, the Mercure Biel hotel is easily reachable on foot from … MoreCHF 95 - 170 Metropol
 The Hotel Metropol enjoys a central yet quiet location in Biel, close to the city park, and offers you en-suite rooms, fine cuisine and free wireless … MoreCHF 90 - 198 Hotel Drei Rosen
 This 3-star, family-run hotel is situated between the motorway and the city centre, allowing easy movement and access to main roads around the area.
… MoreCHF 80 - 150 Hotel Artus
CHF 102 - 415 Elite Swiss Quality Hotel
 Located less than a 5-minute walk from Biel Railway Station, Elite Swiss Quality Hotel offers spacious and bright rooms, an elegant restaurant serving… MoreCHF 100 - 125 Gästezimmer Plänke
 Housed in an early 20th Century building, the spacious rooms offered at Gästezimmer Plänke are located in the charming district of Plänkequartier, … MoreCHF 110 - 186 Best Western Hotel Continental
 The Hotel Continental is located 5 minutes from Lake Biel, close to the railway station and the city centre of Biel/Bienne. It offers free internet in… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biel-Bienne: Guide
Biel/Bienne is a city in the German name for the town, Bienne its French language|French counterpart. The town is often referred to in both languages simultaneously. Since January 1, 2005, the official name is "Biel/Bienne".
The town is located in the north eastern shores of Lake Biel (Bielersee, Lac de Bienne). The city of Bern lies southeast of Biel/Bienne (30 minutes by train).
History
The origin of the town has been traced to the times when Celts settled in the region. At the time it was called Belenus, after a Celtic deity. The Ancient Rome|Romans later inhabited the area. The town itself was built in the 11th century, and in 1275 it was chartered.
Biel/Bienne was 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.
In 1798 Biel/Bienne was invaded by French troops. After Napoleon's collapse, the town became a part of the Canton of Bern, in 1815.
Language
About two thirds of the population speak German, about one third French. The town is officially bilingual (it is the biggest bilingual town in Switzerland). Some 150 nationalities are represented in Biel/Bienne. In recent years the town has used its bilingualism as an economic advantage. Several call centres are located in or around Biel to make use of the two languages. The main industries of the town, however, are watchmaking and the manufacture of machinery.
Main sights
The town centre of Biel/Bienne features a Gothic church which dates from 1451. The town hall dates from 1534. The population is an estimated 51,900.
Business
The city and its neighbourhood thrive on precision and micro mechanical industry products exported worldwide, including well known watches.
Rolex have since the beginning established and run their movement & technical parts production centres in the city, also
Biel/Bienne is also known for its annual International Chess Festival.
The city received the Wakker Prize in 2004.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Biel-Bienne". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Swatch Group have their Group & several Brands headquarters, especially Omega & Swatch here, as well as
The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FHCulture
The newspapers Bieler Tagblatt and Journal du Jura are published in Biel/Bienne. Twinning
Iserlohn, Germany since 1959Gallery
Image:Swiss-bienne-city-1.JPG|Lake Biel
Image:Municipal park of Biel.JPG|town's park
Image:CH Biel Schüss.JPG|La Suze river
Image:CH Biel Altstadt-8.JPG
Image:Biel.jpg|Place du Ring
Image:CH Biel Altstadt-2.JPG
Image:CH Biel Altstadt-6.jpg
Image:Tuerme auf der Arteplage Biel der Expo.02.jpg|Expo 02
External links