Grenoble

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Template:French commune

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Grenoble (Occitan: Grasanòbol) is a city and commune in south-east France, situated at the foot of the Alps, at the confluence of the Drac into the Isère River. Located in the Rhône-Alpes région, Grenoble is the préfecture (capital) of the département of Isère. Population of the city (commune) of Grenoble at the 1999 census was 153,317 inhabitants (157,900 inhabitants as of February 2004 estimates). Population of the whole metropolitan area (in French: aire urbaine) at the 1999 census was 514,559 inhabitants.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Education & Research in the city
- 3.1 At the secondary level
- 3.2 At the university level
4 Miscellaneous
5 Transportation
6 See also
7 External links

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History

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 380 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 progressively passed into the possession of the Carolingian kings, then the second Burgundian kingdom of 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.

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Geography

Grenoble is surrounded by mountains: to the north the Chartreuse, to the west the Vercors, and to the east the Belledonne range. As such, it is often visited by the Tour de France and is often called the "capital of the alpes". The city is mainly built on the alluvial plain of the river Isere, at an altitude of around 214 meters. Mountain sports give to the city an important touristic interest: twenty ski stations surround the city, some only 30 minutes of drive away.

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Education & Research in the city

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At the 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 CSI Europole formally situated downtown in the Lycée International Stendhal across from the Maison du Tourisme. Since 2003 the CSI has moved to the Lycée Europole, near the train station. Originally only four language sections were available: German, Spanish, Italian and English but it also has a Portuguese and an Arabic section. It is now one of France's best secondary education centers.

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At the university level

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Early Beginnings

In 1339 the University of Grenoble was founded by Pope Benedict XII and the Dauphin Humbert II (the counts of Dauphiné bore the title of Dauphin), whose charter of privileges stipulated that the university should give instruction in civil and canon law, medicine, and the arts. This first attempt at a university foundered, but it was re-established on sound footing by the governor of the Dauphiné in 1542.

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Science & 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).

Large research centers located in or near the city also include the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and one of the French 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.

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Human & Social Sciences

An IEP is located here, the Institut d'études politiques de Grenoble, as well as an increasingly reputated business school Grenoble École de management (Grenoble-EM).

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Miscellaneous

Grenoble is famous for its walnuts, for which it enjoys an appelation of controlled origin.
Grenoble hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics and is preparing to bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Grenoble is also famous for its Italian quarter, the "Quartier Saint Laurent" and the many ski resorts surrounding it.
It is the home of rugby union team FC Grenoble, soccer team Grenoble Foot 38 and ice hockey team Brûleurs de loups.