Grenoble, the old capital of the Dauphiné, is beautifully situated in a basin in the Isère valley, surrounded by mountains rising to 3, 000 m/9, 900ft. It is the chief town of the département of Isère, an important industrial center and a university town. The city attracted the eyes of the world when the Winter Olympics were held here in 1968, leading to a great increase in tourist traffic. Important contributions are made to the city's economy by glove manufacture and the walnuts which are grown in the lower Isère valley between Tullins and St- Marcellin.
The energetic city of Grenoble is a surprise at every turn. Leaving the very unpretentious railway station one enters a city that has a history of being on the cutting edge. It was here that the revolution in France began before happening in Paris. It is here now that France has leading research centers in nanotechnology and new technologies. It is here that you can find two great modern art galleries - in amongst architecture that has an edge.
The narrow streets of the Old Town on the southern bank of the Isère, particularly around places Grenette, Vaucanson, Verdun and Notre-Dame, make up the liveliest and most colourful quarter of the city. Near the bustling place Notre-Dame, on the riverbank, is the Musée de Grenoble a modern complex that houses a large gallery of paintings ranging from the sixteenth century to the present day. Of particular note are the rooms filled with paintings from the last two hundred years – including works by Chagall, Gauguin, Léger and Matisse – although there are also paintings by Rubens and Caravaggio, as well as a large set of Egyptian antiquities.
Grenoble (Arpitaans: Grenoblo, Occitaans: Grenòble) (153. 000 inwoners, circa 500. 000 in de agglomeratie) is een stad in zuidoost-Frankrijk, aan de voet van de Alpen, waar de rivier Drac en de rivier Isère samenkomen. De stad is de hoofdstad van het departement Isère. De stad vervult een centrumfunctie voor de Franse Alpen. Er zijn diverse middeleeuwse gebouwen, waaronder de kathedraal.
Grenoble is een van de grotere centra voor hoger onderwijs in Frankrijk (meer dan 50. 000 studenten), vooral op natuurwetenschappelijk gebied. In de stad bevinden zich het ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility), het ILL (Institut Laue-Langevin) en verschillende laboratoria van het CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique).
In 1968 was Grenoble gastheer van de Olympische Winterspelen. Zie Olympische Winterspelen 1968. Op 23 juli 2011 startte en eindigde de individuele tijdrit van de Ronde van Frankrijk in Grenoble.
In de gemeente ligt spoorwegstation Grenoble.
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