Biel/Bienne

Biel/Bienne is a bilingual city and municipality in the canton of Bern in Switzerland, called Biel in German and Bienne in French, a double name that has been the official wording since 1 January 2005. With more than 55,000 residents it is the tenth largest city in the country, and its urban area holds about 100,000 people. It is the capital of the Biel/Bienne administrative district and lies on the language boundary between the French-speaking and German-speaking parts of the country, so it is bilingual throughout. Since the nineteenth century it has been an industrial and watchmaking centre, home to brands such as Rolex, Omega and Swatch, and is sometimes called the world capital of watchmaking.