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Grenoble

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

Grenobles (Franco-Provençal: Grenoblo) is a city and commune in south-east France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River. Located in the Rhône-Alpes région, Grenoble is the préfecture (capital) of the département of Isère. 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 552,547 inhabitants at the 2007 estimate. 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.

Geography

Grenoble is surrounded by mountains: to the north are the Chartreuse, to the west are the Vercors, and to the east are the Belledonne range. As such, it is often visited by the Tour de France and has been called the "capital of the Alps".

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 the site of mining and heavy industry. Abandoned mills and factories can be found in small towns and villages like La Mure (carbon mine).

Transport

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. 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.

History

For the ecclesiastical history, see Bishopric of Grenoble.
The city has been known under different names through time:

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 in 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.

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 was also a major part in Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities. 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 19th century fortifications in all of France, and held an important strategic point on the Alpine frontier.

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. For those who opt for the "Bulles", a round trip costs €5.95. Alternatively, many locals do their "footing" or morning jogs up the mountain.

Musee de la Resistance et de la deportation de l'isere

Located at 14 Rue Hebert in the city center, the Resistance Museum is an informative exhibition about World War II. It was created in 1966 and expanded throughout the 70s and 80s. Today, the museum explains the basic history of the region and World War II through personal testimonies.

Museum Website

Education and research in the city

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. In 2003 the CSI moved to its present location, near the train station. Originally only four language sections were available: German, Spanish, Italian and English, but Portuguese and an Arabic section have also been added. It is now one of France's best secondary education centres.

University level

Beginning level

By three Bulls of 12 May, 27 May, and 30 September, 1339 the University of Grenoble was founded by Pope Benedict XII.

On 25 July, 1339, the Dauphin Humbert II (the counts of Dauphiné bore the title of Dauphin) drew up a charter of the privileges granted to the students at Grenoble, promulgated measures to attract them, and stipulated that the university should give instruction in civil and canon law, medicine, and the arts.

A curious ordinance issued 10 May, 1340 by Humbert II commanded the destruction of all the forges in the vicinity of Grenoble lest they should produce an irreparable famine of wood and charcoal. Humbert may have wished that life should be frugal where university was established. Finally on 1 August, 1340, he declared that the superior court of justice of Dauphiné (conseil delphinal), which he removed from Saint-Marcellin to Grenoble, should be composed of seven counsellors, four whom might be chosen from among the professors at Grenoble. Humbert's projects do not appear to have been completely realized. The university lacked resources, indeed arts and medicine were not taught, and even the chairs of law seem scarcely to have survived the reign of Humbert II. At all events, when Louis XI created the University of Valence in 1452, he declared that no institution of the kind existed at that time in Dauphiné.

This first attempt at a university had foundered, but it was re-established on sound footing in 1542 by Francois de Bourbon, Count of Saint-Pol, great-uncle of Henry IV of France, and the royal governor of the Dauphiné province. The Italian jurist Gribaldi, the Portuguese jurist Govea, and the French jurist Pierre Lorioz, called Petrus Orioli (Pierre de Loriol)of a family originally of Pernes Les Fontaines, attracted many students thither, but the orthodoxy of these professors was suspected. This was one of the reasons which, in April, 1565, led Charles IX of France to unite the University of Grenoble to that of Valence, for which in 1567 Bishop Montluc, well known as a diplomat and powerful at court, was able to obtain the noted jurist Cujas. The citizens of Grenoble protested and sent delegates to Paris, but the edict of union between the universities was strengthened by the circumstance that at the very time when Charles IX published his edict, Govea and Loriol were compelled to institute a suite against the town of Grenoble in order to secure the payment of their arrears of salary.

Equally ineffectual were the efforts for the renewal of the university frequently made by the town in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Napoleon I, on 1 November, 1805, re-established the faculty of law of Grenoble. Since 1896 the different faculties of Grenoble form the University of Grenoble.

It is worth mentioning that under the current system there is little filtering of University entrance. Consequently, it has been pointed out as one of the causes of the enormous drop out rates in the first and second years. The schools where filtering is applied are called Grandes Écoles, the graduates of which retain most of the top positions in French Society.

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 Grenoble Institute of Technology (INPG) trains each year more than 1,000 engineers in high-tech areas. In fact, 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 solely or in collaboration by CNRS and the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA).

In or near the city also 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 (CEA) main research facility.

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.

Most recently, the City hosted the Science On Stage 2 Event for delegations of European science teachers from across Europe. This was a major event with many significant speakers and politicians there to discuss and develop ideas for enhancing the quality of science teaching across Europe, along with hundreds of Europes most innovative science teachers. It was a very colourful event, with lots of noise, colour and excitement as teachers demonstrated the kind of stuff you wished your science teachers did when you were at school! More information about this event can be found at: "http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Science_on_Stage/index.html" and a UK site with teaching resources as well: "http://www.scienceonstage2.co.uk/".

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).

Miscellaneous

  • Grenoble is famous for its walnuts, for which it enjoys an appelation of controlled origin.
  • The town is famous for manufacturing of gloves, for which an innovative technique was introduced in XIX century.
  • The town hosts an important Comics publisher, Glénat.
  • Grenoble hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics and is preparing to bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
  • Grenoble is famous for many nearby ski resorts nestled in the surrounding mountains, and its Italian quarter, the "Quartier Saint Laurent".
  • 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.
  • Grenoble has many restaurants from cheap to expensive of almost every cuisine, but particularly common are Italian and Asian establishments.

Movies

Births

Grenoble was the birthplace of:

Famous citizens

Sister cities

See also

Sources and External links



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Last updated on Sunday March 02, 2008 at 08:10:32 PST (GMT -0800)
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