A city of southeast France on the Isère River south-southwest of Chambéry. An ancient Roman city, Grenoble is a noted tourist and skiing center. Population: 157,000.
Grenoble
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Gre·no·ble (grə-nō'bəl, -nôbl')  |
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Grenoble (grənô'blə) , city (1990 pop. 153,973), capital of Isère dept., SE France, on the Isère River at the foot of the Alps. It is the hydroelectric center of France and has an important nuclear-research center. Metals, electrical equipment, chemicals, and food products are the chief manufactures. An ancient city of the Allobroges and a Roman city, Grenoble came under the Burgundians (5th cent.), the Franks (6th cent.), and the kingdom of Provence (9th–11th cent.). When that kingdom broke up, Grenoble became a possession of the dauphins of Viennois; Dauphiné along with its capital, Grenoble, passed to the French crown in 1349. The parlement of Grenoble was strongly anti-Royalist during the French Revolution. In Grenoble are a famous university (founded 1339); the Cathedral of Notre Dame (12–13th cent.); the Church of St. André (13th–14th cent.), which contains the tomb of the military hero Pierre Bayard; the Renaissance palace of the dauphins (now the courthouse); and an art museum. Another museum is devoted to Stendhal, who was born in Grenoble. Near the city is the Grande Chartreuse, a monastery founded in 1084. Grenoble is a noted tourist and skiing center and was the site of the 1968 winter Olympics.
| Dialing Code: The telephone dialing code for: Grenoble, France |
The country code is: 33
The city code is: 476
| Wikipedia: Grenoble |
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Coordinates: 45°11′16″N 5°43′37″E / 45.187778°N 5.726945°E
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Commune of Grenoble |
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| Grenoblo (Franco-Provençal) | |
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| Grenoble with the Dauphiné Alps | |
| Location | |
  Grenoble
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| 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 (Arpitan: Grenoblo) 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]
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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.
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.
History
- For the ecclesiastical history, see Bishopric of Grenoble.
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The city has been known under different names through time:
- Cularo when the Allobroges built strong walls around the small town in the 3rd century.
- Gratianopolis after 381 when the Emperor Gratian visited the city and had the walls improved.
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.
Main sights
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.
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.
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.
Education
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.
Tertiary level
Science and engineering
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]
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.
Notable facts
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.
Sport
- Grenoble hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics.
- Grenoble is famous for many nearby ski resorts nestled in the surrounding mountains.
- It is the home of a rugby union team FC Grenoble, a football team Grenoble Foot 38, and an ice hockey team Brûleurs de loups.
Culture
Food
- Grenoble is famous for its walnuts, for which it enjoys an appellation of controlled origin.[citation needed]
Movies
- Les filles de Grenoble (1981) by Joël Le Moigné deals with the city's prostitution underworld
- Grenoble--La Villeneuve: The City Conceived Anew (1974) by Michel Régnier deals with the creation of a utopian city, today's poster child of urban segregation and isolation
Other
- The town hosts an important Comics publisher, Glénat.
- An Italian quarter, the "Quartier Saint Laurent".
People from Grenoble
Grenoble was the birthplace of:
- Abel Servien (1593–1659), diplomat
- Hugues de Lionne (1611–1671), statesman
- Claudine Alexandrine Guérin de Tencin (1681–1749), courtesan and author
- Jacques de Vaucanson (1709–1782), inventor of the automated loom and the digesting duck.
- Étienne Bonnot de Condillac (1715–1780), writer of the Enlightenment
- Jean Joseph Mounier (1758–1806), politician
- Antoine Barnave (1761–1793), orator of the French Revolution
- Casimir Pierre Perier (1777–1832), statesman
- Stendhal (1783–1842), author
- Léon Roches (1809-1901), diplomat
- Henri Fantin-Latour (1836–1904), painter
- Lionel Terray (born 1921), climber
- Ultra Violet (born 1935), artist, author and former colleague of Andy Warhol
- Johnny Servoz-Gavin (born 1942), motor racing driver
- Michel Lotito (born 1950), entertainer
- Maurice Dantec (born 1959), science fiction author
- Miss Kittin, (real name Caroline Hervé, born 1973), electronica vocalist
- Anaïs Croze, (born 1976), singer
- Julien Brellier, born 1982, footballer
- Cristobal Huet, National Hockey League player.
- Julien Robert, biathlete
- David Di Tommaso,(1979, 2005) French footballer.
Notable citizens
- Pierre Terrail Seigneur de Bayard, lieutenant-general of Dauphiné[citation needed]
- Jean-François Champollion (1790-1832), Egyptologist
- Joseph Fourier (1768-1830), Mathematician and physicist
- Jean-Luc Godard, cineast
- Pierre Mendès-France, French prime minister
- Louis Eugène Félix Néel (1904-2000), Physicist
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French philosopher and writer, born in Geneva
- André the Giant was billed as a wrestler from Grenoble
- Cristobal Huet is the Chicago Blackhawks goaltender
Sister cities
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Catania, Italy, since 1961
Innsbruck, Austria, since 1963
Essen, Germany, since 1976- Halle, Germany, since 1976
Chişinău, Moldova, since 1977
Oxford, United Kingdom, since 1977
Rehovoth, Israel, since 1977
Phoenix, United States, since 1990
Pécs, Hungary, since 1992
Bethlehem, Palestine, since 1995
Kaunas, Lithuania, since 1997
Sfax, Tunisia, since 1998
Constantine, Algeria, since 1999- Corato, Italy, since 2002
See also
References
- INSEE commune file
- This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Grenoble |
- Grenoble travel guide from Wikitravel
- Grenoble Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Grenoble City website
- Official tourism office of Grenoble
- Semitag - Transports de l'agglomération grenobloise (French)
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Mentioned in
- Isère (department, France)
- Le Vercors
- chartreuse
- Charles Fontenettes (parapsychology)
- Henri Jérôme Bertini
- Jacob Richier (art)
- (Ignace-)Henri-Th?odore Fantin-Latour (art)
- Jules Flandrin (art)
- Jacquet (art)
- Martin Claustre (art)
- François Marie Raoult (French chemist)
- Antoine-Pierre-Joseph-Marie Barnave
- Jacques Chevalier
- Ferdinand Roybet (art)
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