La Maison Blanche

The Jura Mountains


This neoclassical house with a white facade and shiny roof is prized as Le Corbusier’s first independent piece of work – and a notable break from the regional art nouveau. Architecturally unrecognisable as Le Corbusier to anyone familiar with his later work, it sat derelict in the leafy hilltop neighbourhood above La Chaux until 2004, when the modern-architecture treasure was renovated and refurnished (with some original furnishings).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Jura Mountains attractions

1. Musée International d’Horlogerie

0.8 MILES

This is a well-thought-out museum in a leafy park with history and fine-arts museums as neighbours and a huge steel carillon that plays on the quarter,…

2. Parc du Doubs

0.84 MILES

This nature park, covering almost 300 sq km of terrain south of the River Doubs to the Franches Montanges, is characterised by undulating hills, deep…

3. Robosphere

1.11 MILES

If you're looking for something completely different, this educational facility is dedicated to the world of robotics. It helps to have some French…

4. Vue-des-Alpes

3.62 MILES

About 8km south of La Chaux-de-Fonds, just off Rte N20, Vue-des-Alpes (1283m) is a mountain pass popular for its two 7.3km and 11km mountain-bike loop…

5. Musée de l’Horlogerie du Locle

4.38 MILES

In Le Locle, 8km west of La Chaux-de-Fonds, grand 18th-century rooms filled with all manner of clocks make this museum tick. The manor house, Château des…

6. Saut du Doubs

5.3 MILES

The River Doubs, which forms part of the Swiss–French border, widens out at the peaceful village of Les Brenets, 15km southwest of La Chaux-de-Fonds. It…

7. Mt Chaumont

8.67 MILES

Soak up views across the three lakes to the Alps from Mt Chaumont (1160m), a ride on bus 7 from Neuchâtel to La Coudre then a 12-minute funicular ride up…

8. Église Collégiale

9.47 MILES

The interior of the largely Gothic Église Collégiale is a mix of Romanesque elements (notably the triple apse). Facing the main entrance is a statue of…