Grenoble
[key], city, capital of Isère dept., SE France, at the foot of the
Alps on the Isère River at the confluence of Drac River. It is the
hydroelectric center of France and has an important nuclear-research center.
Metals, electrical equipment, chemicals, and food products are the chief
manufactures. An ancient city of the Allobroges and a Roman city, Grenoble
came under the Burgundians (5th cent.), the Franks (6th cent.), and the
kingdom of Provence (9th–11th cent.). When that kingdom broke up,
Grenoble became a possession of the dauphins of Viennois; Dauphiné along with its capital,
Grenoble, passed to the French crown in 1349. The parlement of Grenoble was
strongly anti-Royalist during the French Revolution. In Grenoble are a
famous university (founded 1339); the Cathedral of Notre Dame
(12–13th cent.); the Church of St. André (13th–14th
cent.), which contains the tomb of the military hero Pierre Bayard; the Renaissance palace of the
dauphins (now the courthouse); and art and archaeological museums. Another
museum is devoted to Stendhal, who was
born in Grenoble. Near the city is the Grande Chartreuse, a monastery founded in
1084. Grenoble is a noted tourist and skiing center and was the site of the
1968 winter Olympics.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: French Political Geography
