La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle since today have been listed as an Unesco World Heritage Site, as a whole industrial complex for the watch making and precision industry as well as related cultural sites.
I have mixed feelings about this - I would rather see Le Locle as a vital manufacturing center (and BTW, real working factories are rarely much to look at) than as a museum. I once went down into a former coal mine, where they had retired mine workers giving tours to tourists and it was a little heartbreaking that this was a museum of a mine and not a real mine. Likewise, Venice at this point is no longer a real living city but a giant tourist trap. In China today, they don't have factory museums, they have actual factories. I realize that Switz. does also, but this is a step in the wrong direction IMHO - too much of Europe is being preserved in amber.
"SWG" <swisswatch...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle since today have been listed as an > Unesco World Heritage Site, as a whole industrial complex for the > watch making and precision industry as well as related cultural sites.
> I have mixed feelings about this - I would rather see Le Locle as a vital > manufacturing center (and BTW, real working factories are rarely much to > look at) than as a museum. I once went down into a former coal mine, where > they had retired mine workers giving tours to tourists and it was a little > heartbreaking that this was a museum of a mine and not a real mine. > Likewise, Venice at this point is no longer a real living city but a giant > tourist trap. In China today, they don't have factory museums, they have > actual factories. I realize that Switz. does also, but this is a step in the > wrong direction IMHO - too much of Europe is being preserved in amber.
> "SWG" <swisswatch...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle since today have been listed as an > > Unesco World Heritage Site, as a whole industrial complex for the > > watch making and precision industry as well as related cultural sites.
I understand your viewpoint. Actually, both cities are very active and turned toward the future in their undertakings, without destroying the tokens of their past. It appears tob e a good mix, especially since our Western World seems to be arrived at a stage where the stage of economic and financial wellfare is being questioned.
Older people tend to look back at their roots, so do older civilizations. There is a need for people to try and find solace in their past "grandeur" and achievements. Financial wellfare alone, especially at times when being questioned, does not make people happy.
The need for romance and spiritual wellness is upsurging. The mastering of the time ellapsing is one of deepest ingrained human beings' traits, therefore, preserving its history by the Unesco, IMHO is to be saluted.
> On Jun 29, 6:02 pm, "Jack Denver" <nunuv...@netscape.net> wrote: >> I have mixed feelings about this - I would rather see Le Locle >> as a vital >> manufacturing center (and BTW, real working factories are >> rarely much to >> look at) than as a museum. I once went down into a former coal >> mine, where >> they had retired mine workers giving tours to tourists and it >> was a little >> heartbreaking that this was a museum of a mine and not a real >> mine. >> Likewise, Venice at this point is no longer a real living city >> but a giant >> tourist trap. In China today, they don't have factory museums, >> they have >> actual factories. I realize that Switz. does also, but this is >> a step in the >> wrong direction IMHO - too much of Europe is being preserved in >> amber.
>> "SWG" <swisswatch...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> > La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle since today have been listed >> > as an >> > Unesco World Heritage Site, as a whole industrial complex for >> > the >> > watch making and precision industry as well as related >> > cultural sites.
> I understand your viewpoint. Actually, both cities are very > active and > turned toward the future in their undertakings, without > destroying the > tokens of their past. It appears tob e a good mix, especially > since > our Western World seems to be arrived at a stage where the stage > of > economic and financial wellfare is being questioned.
> Older people tend to look back at their roots, so do older > civilizations. There is a need for people to try and find solace > in > their past "grandeur" and achievements. Financial wellfare > alone, > especially at times when being questioned, does not make people > happy.
> The need for romance and spiritual wellness is upsurging. The > mastering of the time ellapsing is one of deepest ingrained > human > beings' traits, therefore, preserving its history by the Unesco, > IMHO > is to be saluted.
We enjoy that type of museum, but I always ask myself "Why" did the factory become empty. Did technology move away from the company, did it become less expensive to move the labor offshore, did the supply of material run out or become too expensive, was the manufacture or product somehow flawed or dangerous?
A good example is the Duke warehouses, called Brightleaf Square, in Durham NC. It's where the Duke cigarette folk stored and/or aged the tobacco leaves destined for cigarettes etc. There, we have a major series of buildings converted to a much more socially acceptable shopping center. I also marvel at the steel mills in KC and other cities, where union pressures for more and more money and benefits, coupled with increasing environmental scrutiny and lower costs in Europe caused the closing.
OTOH, there are also many empty plants in the US who closed because the ownership hauled out the last cent of income, leaving behind an unemployed workforce, old tooling and no reinvestment to stay competitive.
Just a FWIW, here in the US, we have very little electronics manufacturing due to a number of factors. While we're a leader in the high tech design and development end, we cannot competitively assemble and sell the majority of consumer goods because of unions, environmental regulations, work rules and high labor costs. As you know, most of the assembly of US-designed goods like that is done in China, nowadays. Well, a relative who works in one of the US electronics manufacturing and assembly plants that is still here in the US tells me that despite the recession, they're working full time and making money. Their purchaser? Mainland China and the Chinese government.
-- Nonny
. . . on a darned diet and ready to chew off my own elbows.
> > On Jun 29, 6:02 pm, "Jack Denver" <nunuv...@netscape.net> wrote: > >> I have mixed feelings about this - I would rather see Le Locle > >> as a vital > >> manufacturing center (and BTW, real working factories are > >> rarely much to > >> look at) than as a museum. I once went down into a former coal > >> mine, where > >> they had retired mine workers giving tours to tourists and it > >> was a little > >> heartbreaking that this was a museum of a mine and not a real > >> mine. > >> Likewise, Venice at this point is no longer a real living city > >> but a giant > >> tourist trap. In China today, they don't have factory museums, > >> they have > >> actual factories. I realize that Switz. does also, but this is > >> a step in the > >> wrong direction IMHO - too much of Europe is being preserved in > >> amber.
> >> "SWG" <swisswatch...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> >> > La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle since today have been listed > >> > as an > >> > Unesco World Heritage Site, as a whole industrial complex for > >> > the > >> > watch making and precision industry as well as related > >> > cultural sites.
> > I understand your viewpoint. Actually, both cities are very > > active and > > turned toward the future in their undertakings, without > > destroying the > > tokens of their past. It appears tob e a good mix, especially > > since > > our Western World seems to be arrived at a stage where the stage > > of > > economic and financial wellfare is being questioned.
> > Older people tend to look back at their roots, so do older > > civilizations. There is a need for people to try and find solace > > in > > their past "grandeur" and achievements. Financial wellfare > > alone, > > especially at times when being questioned, does not make people > > happy.
> > The need for romance and spiritual wellness is upsurging. The > > mastering of the time ellapsing is one of deepest ingrained > > human > > beings' traits, therefore, preserving its history by the Unesco, > > IMHO > > is to be saluted.
> We enjoy that type of museum, but I always ask myself "Why" did > the factory become empty. Did technology move away from the > company, did it become less expensive to move the labor offshore, > did the supply of material run out or become too expensive, was > the manufacture or product somehow flawed or dangerous?
> A good example is the Duke warehouses, called Brightleaf Square, > in Durham NC. It's where the Duke cigarette folk stored and/or > aged the tobacco leaves destined for cigarettes etc. There, we > have a major series of buildings converted to a much more socially > acceptable shopping center. I also marvel at the steel mills in > KC and other cities, where union pressures for more and more money > and benefits, coupled with increasing environmental scrutiny and > lower costs in Europe caused the closing.
> OTOH, there are also many empty plants in the US who closed > because the ownership hauled out the last cent of income, leaving > behind an unemployed workforce, old tooling and no reinvestment to > stay competitive.
> Just a FWIW, here in the US, we have very little electronics > manufacturing due to a number of factors. While we're a leader in > the high tech design and development end, we cannot competitively > assemble and sell the majority of consumer goods because of > unions, environmental regulations, work rules and high labor > costs. As you know, most of the assembly of US-designed goods > like that is done in China, nowadays. Well, a relative who works > in one of the US electronics manufacturing and assembly plants > that is still here in the US tells me that despite the recession, > they're working full time and making money. Their purchaser? > Mainland China and the Chinese government.
> -- > Nonny
> . . . on a darned diet > and ready to chew off > my own elbows.
everything has a start, a growing up till maturation and then a decaying. Preserving some tokens for future generations to try and understand "history" is a good thing, helping them to ask the "why" and try and get some answer by themselves.
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