Grenoble

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Coordinates: 45°11′16″N 5°43′37″E / 45.187778°N 5.726945°E / 45.187778; 5.726945

Grenoble
Grenoble with the Dauphiné Alps
Location
Grenoble is located in France
Grenoble
Grenoble
Administration
Country France
Region Rhône-Alpes
Department Isère
Arrondissement Grenoble
Intercommunality Agglomeration community of the Grenoble Alpes Métropole
Mayor Michel Destot
(2008-2014)
Statistics
Elevation 204–600 m (670–1,970 ft)
(avg. 212 m/700 ft)
Land area1 18.13 km2 (7.00 sq mi)
Population2 157,900  (2005)
 - Density 8,709 /km² (22,560 /sq mi)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 38185/ 38000, 38100
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Grenoble is a city in southeastern France situated at the foot of the French Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River.

Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère. The proximity of the mountains make the city named "Capital of Alps." The population of the city (commune) of Grenoble at the 1999 census was 153,317 inhabitants (157,900 inhabitants estimated as of February 2004.) The population of the whole metropolitan area (French: aire urbaine) at the 1999 census was 514,559 inhabitants and 560,222 inhabitants at the 2007 estimate. The residents of the city are called Grenoblois. Among the numerous communes included are the city's largest suburbs, Saint-Martin-d'Hères, Échirolles, and Fontaine, each with a population exceeding 20,000 inhabitants.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Grenoble is surrounded by mountains. To the north is the Chartreuse, to the south and west the Vercors, and to the east the Belledonne range. For the French it is the capital of the Alps, and the Tour de France regularly passes through Grenoble.

The city is mainly built on the alluvial plain of the River Isere at an altitude of around 214 meters. Mountain sports are an important tourist draw for the city. Twenty ski stations surround the city, the nearest being Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, which is about 15 minutes' drive away.

Historically both Grenoble and the surrounding areas were sites of mining and heavy industry.[citation needed]. Abandoned mills and factories can be found in small towns and villages, such as the coal mine at La Mure.

[edit] Transport

See also: Tramway de Grenoble

Grenoble can be accessed by plane from Grenoble-Isère Airport, Saint-Exupéry International Airport near Lyon, Geneva Cointrin International Airport. Within Grenoble there is a comprehensive bus and tram service, run by Semitag. It operates 26 bus lines and 4 tram lines, serving all of greater Grenoble.

Grenoble is served by the TGV network with frequent services to and from Paris Gare de Lyon and less frequent trains to and from other destinations in France such as Lille Europe and Nantes. Eurostar connections to and from London can be made at Lille or Paris. TER services connect Grenoble with Geneva and destinations to the east. Valence to the west provides connections with TGV services along the Rhone valley. Rail and road connections to the south are less well developed.

Road links to the north and west are good, by autoroute, including to Lyon and the Rhone valley via Valence. An autoroute runs east up the valley towards the Alps and Italy.

The city is also circled by a partial beltway.

[edit] History

For the ecclesiastical history, see Bishopric of Grenoble.
This section requires expansion.
Defensive walls around the town

The city has been known under different names through time:

Grenoble and Dauphiné circa 1638

After the collapse of the Roman Empire the city was part of the first Burgundian kingdom, until it was taken by Clotaire I, king of the Franks and a son of Clovis. Later on, it passed into the possession of the Carolingian kings, then the second Burgundian kingdom of Arles (French: Arles), and finally became a possession of the counts of Vienne, whose title, "Dauphin", gave the region its traditional name: Dauphiné. Grenoble was the capital of the Dauphiné, a province of France since 1349, when the last Dauphin of Vienne sold the region to France, on condition that the heir to the French crown use the title of Dauphin.

The city gained some notoriety on 7 June 1788 when the townspeople assaulted troops of Louis XVI in the "Day of the Tiles".

Modern history has been no less colorful with the sacking of the local churches from 1789 onwards, even to the extent of travelling guillotines, going from village to village to exact vengeace following unfounded accusations. Place de la Bastille (Place Hubert Dubedout now) was historically Place de la Guillotine.

These tensions arose again during the periods of Italian and German occupation in World War II. Many resistance fighters were betrayed in Grenoble. The old Gestapo HQ is now a well-known hotel. Grenoble was awarded the Ordre de la Libération for its significant role in the French Resistance.

[edit] Main sights

View of the Bastille as seen from the town of Grenoble.
"Les Bulles"
Art gallery
Archaeological museum
Palace of the Parliament of Dauphiné
The Isère River in Grenoble

[edit] La Bastille

The Bastille, an ancient series of fortifications, sits on the mountainside overlooking Grenoble, and is visible from many points in the city. The Bastille is one of Grenoble's most visited tourist attractions, and is a good vantage point for viewing the town below and the surrounding mountains.

Although the Bastille was begun in the Middle Ages, later years saw extensive additions including a semi-underground defense network. The Bastille has been credited as the most extensive example of early 18th century fortifications in all of France, and held an important strategic point on the Alpine frontier.[1]

Since 1934, the Bastille has been the destination of what locals call a "téléphérique", a system of egg-shaped cable cars ("Les Bulles") that provide riders with an excellent view over the Isère River.

[edit] Archaeological museum of Saint Laurent

Located in the Place Saint Laurent, the collections come from the archaeological excavations done on the site and are dated throughout the 3rd century A.D. Situated on the right bank of the Isère, the museum presents the vestiges permitting to carry up the time until the origins of Christianity. The museum is situated in a Benedictine church of the XIIth century. Discovered in 1803 by J. J. Champollion-Figeac, brother of the Egyptologist. The church is one of the first monuments classified in France, thanks to the intervention of Prosper Mérimée, historic monument inspector.[citation needed] Since 1978, a systematic excavation is led Loud in the setting of a regional research program on the evolution of the churches during the Middle Ages. The museum is closed for works until September 2010.

[edit] Palace of the Parliament of Dauphiné

The courthouse until 2002, (Place Saint Andre). A 15th-century building belonging to the Isère Council. An ongoing renovation project will give this building new lease of life whilst respecting its patrimonial character and adding a modern touch at the same time.


[edit] Education

[edit] Secondary level

The presence of a large international community through both foreign students and foreign researchers has prompted the creation of an international school more than a decade ago. The Cité Scolaire Internationale Europole (CSI Europole) was formerly situated downtown in the Lycée International Stendhal, across from the Maison du Tourisme.

[edit] Tertiary level

[edit] Science and engineering

Site of European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institut Laue-Langevin and European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Site of Minatec

Grenoble is now a major scientific center, especially in the fields of physics, computer science and applied mathematics: Joseph Fourier University (UJF) is one of the leading French scientific universities while the Grenoble Institute of Technology (INPG) trains more than 1,000 engineers every year in key technology disciplines.

Many fundamental and applied scientific research laboratories are conjointly managed by Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble Institute of Technology and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Numerous other scientific laboratories are managed independently or in collaboration with the CNRS and the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA).

Other research centers in or near Grenoble include the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and one of the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (Nuclear Energy Commission)(CEA) main research facilities.

The recent development of Minatec, a centre for innovation in micro & nanotechnology only increases the position of Grenoble as one of the European scientific centers.[2]

[edit] Human and social sciences

An IEP is located here, the Institut d'études politiques de Grenoble, as well as an internationally ranked business school, the Grenoble École de Management (Grenoble-EM) and Wesford Graduate Business School.

Grenoble (west side) from la Bastille

[edit] Notable facts

[edit] Science and industry

  • The town is famous for manufacturing of gloves, for which an innovative technique was introduced in the 19th century.[citation needed]
  • Grenoble is also famous in the world for its "Polygone Scientifique", one of the largest scientific research centers.
  • The city has many high-tech and world-renowned enterprises in the surrounding area.

[edit] Sport

Stade des Alpes
  • Grenoble is famous for many nearby ski resorts nestled in the surrounding mountains.


[edit] Culture

[edit] Food

[edit] Movies

[edit] Other

  • The town hosts an important Comics publisher, Glénat.
  • An Italian quarter, the "Quartier Saint Laurent".

[edit] People from Grenoble

Grenoble was the birthplace of:

[edit] Notable citizens

[edit] Sister cities

 This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ See web site http://www.bastille-grenoble.fr/english/fortifie_uk.htm
  2. ^ See official website

[edit] External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Grenoble
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