France, Grenoble

Grenoble 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 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.

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 Alps".

The city sits in a valley bottom, with serious issues of air quality due to the large number of cars, garbage burning plants, chemical plants, paper mills and even nuclear test labs. Radiation detectors can be observed at regular intervals along the Drac river.

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.

Main sight

The Bastille, an ancient series of fortifications, sits on the mountainside overlooking Grenoble, and is visible from all over the city at distance. 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.

Education and research in the city

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 formerly situated downtown in the Lycée International Stendhal, across from the Maison du Tourisme.

Transport

Grenoble may be accessed by plane from Saint-Exupéry International Airport, Lyon (circa 1 hour), Geneva Cointrin International Airport (circa 90 minutes) or Saint-Geoirs Airport (circa 30 min).