The “Schüssinsel” park is a local recreation area in the centre of Biel and at the same time a multi-award-winning showcase project for successful urban development. The park can be reached via one of the six bridges that cross the Schüss or the Steblerkanal. The island in the middle of the city is the size of eight football pitches. A special highlight on the edge of the park is the new headquarters of the Swatch brand, one of the world’s largest wooden structures, created under the pen of the Japanese star architect Shigeru Ban.
Multiple awards
The park on the Schüssinsel attracted attention in professional circles throughout Switzerland. In December 2017, the city received two awards in recognition of the exemplary design of the park: the “Flâneur d’Or” from the Swiss Foot Traffic Association and the “Goldener Hase” prize from the architecture magazine Hochparterre in the landscape architecture category. The park received further recognition from the Radix Foundation, the centre of excellence for the development and implementation of public health and sustainable development measures. 38 communities and cities applied for the 2020 “Healthy Community – Healthy City” award. Of these, seven projects were selected, including the city of Biel with the Schüssinsel park.
The Schüssinsel consists of:
– Lawns for picnics, games and sports
– Natural meadows and diverse vegetation, many native tree and shrub species
– Varied water landscapes with near-natural riverbanks, a bathing beach, a stream for playing and splashing around, a water wheel for generating electricity
– A large children’s playground
– An extensive network of paths for bicycle and pedestrian traffic
– Two public toilets and a snack bar