Grenoble

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Coordinates: 5°54′11″E / 45.187778°N 5.903085°E / 45.187778; 5.903085

Commune of Grenoble

Grenoble

Grenoble with the Dauphiné Alps
Location

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 204–500 m (669–1,640 ft)
(avg. 212 m/696 ft)
Land area¹ 18.44 km² (7.12 sq mi)
Population² 156,107  (2006)
 - Density 8,466 /km² (21,930 /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 south-eastern France situated at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère. The proximity of the mountains has led to the city being known as the "Capital of Alps".

The history of the city encompasses a period of more than 2,000 years. Grenoble has been the capital of the Dauphiné since the 11th century. The city experienced a period of economic expansion in the 19th and 20th centuries, symbolised by the holding of the X Olympic Winter Games in 1968. Grenoble is now a significant scientific centre in Europe[1].

The population of the city (commune) of Grenoble at the 2006 census was 156,107 inhabitants. The population of the urban unit of Grenoble was 427,659 inhabitants in 2006. The population of the Grenoble metropolitan area (French: aire urbaine de Grenoble) at the 2006 census was 531,440 inhabitants. The residents of the city are called Grenoblois.

Among the numerous communes that make up Grenoble are the city's largest suburbs, Saint-Martin-d'Hères, Échirolles, and Fontaine, each with a population exceeding 20,000 inhabitants[2].

Geography

Grenoble is surrounded by mountains. To the north lies 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 exclusively built on the alluvial plain of the Isère River and the Drac River, at an altitude of 214 metres (702 ft). Mountain sports are an important tourist attraction for the city, both in summer and in winter. Twenty large and small 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[3]. Abandoned mills and factories can be found in small towns and villages, such as the coal mine at La Mure.

Transport

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

Grenoble is served by the TGV network with frequent services to and from Paris-Gare de Lyon, often with a stop at Saint-Exupéry International Airport train station, and less frequent trains to and from other destinations in France such as Lille Europe and Nantes. TER services connect Grenoble with Lyon, 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. A highway (in French: autoroute) runs east up the valley towards the Alps and Italy.

The city also has a partial beltway running around the south of the city, the Rocade Sud, which connects the autoroute arriving from the east (the A43), with the autoroute arriving from the north (the A48). There is a project to complete the ring road encircling the city, with a tunnel under the Bastille being the likely route [4].

History

For the ecclesiastical history, see Bishopric of Grenoble.

Antiquity

The first references to Grenoble date back to 43 BC. Cularo was at that time a little Gallic village founded by the Allobroges tribe near a bridge across the Isere River. A strong walls was built around the small town in 286 AD[5].

The Emperor Gratian visited Cularo and, touched by the welcome of the people, he made this village a Roman City. In honour of this Cularo was renamed Gratianopolis (“city of Gratian”) in 381.

Christianity spread to the region during the 4th century. The diocese of Grenoble was founded in 377. The bishops exercised from that time a significant political power over the city and until the French Revolution styled themselves the “bishops and princes of Grenoble” [6].

After the collapse of the Roman Empire the city was part of the first Burgundian kingdom in the 5th Century, then the second Burgundian kingdom of Arles until 1032, when it was integrated into the Holy Roman Empire.

Middle Age

Grenoble grew significantly in the 11th century when the Counts of Albon chose this little city as the capital of their territories. At the time, their possessions were a patchwork of several territories sprawled across the region[7]. The central position of Grenoble allowed them to strengthen their authority. These counts later took the title of Dauphins. Grenoble then became the capital of the State of Dauphiné.

In spite of that status, the authority of the counts was shared with the Bishop of Grenoble. One of the most famous of them was Saint Hugh. Under his rule, the bridge of the city was rebuilt, and a hospital was constructed along with a leper hospital[8].

The inhabitants of Grenoble took advantage of the division between the Counts and the Bishops and obtained the recognition of a Charter of Customs that guaranteed their rights[9]. That charter was confirmed by Kings Louis XI in 1447 and Francis I in 1541.

In 1336 the last Dauphin Humbert II founded the Conseil Delphinal which settled at Grenoble in 1340. He also established the University of Grenoble in 1339. Nevertheless, aging and heirless, Humbert sold his state to France in 1349 on condition that the heir to the French crown uses the title of Dauphin. The first one, the future Charles V, spent nine months in Grenoble. The city remained the capital of the Dauphiné, henceforth a province of France. The Estates of Dauphiné were created.

The only Dauphin who really governed his province was Louis XI, whose “reign” lasted nine years, from 1447 to 1456. It was only under his rule that Dauphiné properly joined the Kingdom of France. The Old Conseil Delphinal became a Parlement (the third one in France after the Parliaments of Paris and Toulouse), strengthening the status of Grenoble as a Provincial capital. He also ordered the construction of the Palais du Parlement (finished under Francis I) and ensured that the Bishop pledged allegiance, thus forging the political union of the city[10].

At that time, Grenoble was a crossroad between Vienne, Geneva, Italy and Savoy. It was the industrial centre of the Dauphiné and the biggest city of the province.

Renaissance