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La Chaux-de-Fonds is situated at an elevation of 992 m about 15 km northwest of the canton's capital, Neuchâtel, near the French border. It is the chef-lieu of the district of the same name and the largest city in the Jura Mountains and the third-largest in the Suisse Romande (after Genève and Lausanne). The municipality has a population of about 38,000 (2011).

La Chaux-de-Fonds is first mentioned in 1350 as la Chaz de Fonz. The first church was built in 1528. By 1530, La Chaux-de-Fonds, like the rest of the Valangin lands, converted to the new Reformed faith. In 1616, the low and middle jurisdiction over La Chaux-de-Fonds moved to Le Locle and La Sagne, while the high court remained in Valanginian. In 1656 the city obtained the privileges of a town. At the end of the 16th century, the city became an important crossroad between Neuchâtel, Franche-Comté and the bishopric of Basel. The community grew during the Thirty Years' War, mainly because of its strategic position for trade. But economic activity really begins in the 18th century with the development of lace and watchmaking industry. In 1794, the city was devastated by fire. Charles-Henri Junod created the new city's plan in 1835, and the city is now known for its "modern", grid-like plan, which was and is still unique among Swiss cities. The famous architect Le Corbusier, the writer Blaise Cendrars and the car maker Louis Chevrolet were born there. La Chaux-de-Fonds is a renowned centre of Art nouveau.

In 1994 La Chaux-de-Fonds was awarded the Wakker Prize of the Swiss Heritage Society for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage. Other cities that have been awarded this prize and which are depicted on glasses of this collection are: Altdorf (2007), Basel (1996), Bern (1997), Genève (2000), Lausanne West (Bussigny-près-Lausanne, Chavannes-près-Renens, Crissier, Ecublens, Lausanne, Prilly, Renens, Saint-Sulpice, Villars-Sainte-Croix) (2011), Montreux (1990), Sankt Gallen (1992), Solothurn (1980), Stein am Rhein (1972), Wil (1984), Winterthur (1989). In 2009, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle, its sister city, have jointly been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status for their exceptional universal value.

The Reformed church Grand Temple [left, no. 2787: background right] was built in 1794–1796 on an oval ground plan. The church clock, made by Armand Collin from Paris, was installed in 1960 as the official master clock for the clock manufacturers of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The original clockwork is now exhibited in the Musée International de l'Horlogerie (Institut L'Homme et le Temps).

The Grande Fontaine [left, no. 2787: foreground centre, and right, no. 4480], located at the beginning of the perspective of Avenue Léopold-Robert, was created in 1888 by the scpultor Louis Maximilien Bourgeois as a monument for the new water supplies, which had been created the year before and brought fresh water from the sources of the Areuse river in the Val-de Travers, about 20 km away and 500 m lower. According to a popular legend dating from the construction of the fountain, it was originally planned to include 12 statues of scantily clad nymphs that were to adorn the basin. But after serious discussions and prudes, the artist was censored, and it is said that in revenge, he chose to replace the nymphets by turtles, it being understood that at the time for some these animals symbolized ladies of easy virtue.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Chaux-de-Fonds, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Chaux-de-Fonds, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmuhr_des_Grand_Temple_in_La_Chaux-de-Fonds, http://www.chaux-de-fonds.ch/de/medias/communiques-de-presse/2007/2046-cp_20070416_472, https://e-monumen.net/patrimoine-monumental/fontaine-monumentale-la-chaux-de-fonds/]