Grenoble

For other uses, see Grenoble (disambiguation).

Grenoble
Grenoblo / Grainóvol (Arpitan)
Grenòble / Graçanòbol (Occitan)
Prefecture and commune
From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint-André, jardin de ville, banks of the Isère
From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint-André, jardin de ville, banks of the Isère
Flag of Grenoble
Flag
Coat of arms of Grenoble
Coat of arms
Location of Grenoble
Map
Grenoble is located in France
Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Grenoble
Grenoble
Coordinates: 45°10′18″N 5°43′21″E / 45.171546°N 5.722387°E / 45.171546; 5.722387
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentIsère
ArrondissementGrenoble
CantonGrenoble-1, 2, 3 and 4
IntercommunalityGrenoble-Alpes Métropole
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Éric Piolle[1] (LE)
Area
1
18.13 km2 (7.00 sq mi)
 • Urban
358.1 km2 (138.3 sq mi)
 • Metro
2,876 km2 (1,110 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
157,477
 • Density8,700/km2 (22,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
 (2018[3])
451,096
 • Urban density1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi)
 • Metro
 (2018[3])
714,799
 • Metro density250/km2 (640/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
38185 /38000, 38100
Elevation212–500 m (696–1,640 ft)
(avg. 398 m or 1,306 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Grenoble (/ɡrəˈnoʊbəl/ grə-NOH-bəl;[4] French: [ɡʁənɔbl] ⓘ; Arpitan: Grenoblo or Grainóvol; Occitan: Graçanòbol or Grenòble) is the prefecture and largest city of the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France.[5] It was the capital of the Dauphiné historical province and lies where the river Drac flows into the Isère at the foot of the French Alps.

The population of the commune of Grenoble was 158,198 as of 2019, while the population of the Grenoble metropolitan area (French: aire d'attraction de Grenoble or agglomération grenobloise) was 714,799 which makes it the largest metropolis in the Alps, ahead of Innsbruck and Bolzano.[3] A significant European scientific centre,[6][7] the city advertises itself as the "Capital of the Alps", due to its size and its proximity to the mountains. The many suburban communes that make up the rest of the metropolitan area include four with populations exceeding 20,000: Saint-Martin-d'Hères, Échirolles, Fontaine and Voiron.[8][9]

Grenoble's history goes back over 2,000 years, to a time when it was a village of the Allobroges Gallic tribe. It became the capital of the Dauphiné in the 11th century.[10] This status, consolidated by the annexation to France, allowed it to develop its economy. Grenoble then became a parliamentary and military city, close to the border with Savoy, which at the time was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Industrial development increased the prominence of Grenoble through several periods of economic expansion over the last three centuries. This started with a booming glove industry in the 18th and 19th centuries, continued with the development of a strong hydropower industry in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, and ended with a post-World War II economic boom symbolized by the holding of the X Olympic Winter Games in 1968.

The city has grown to be one of Europe's most important research, technology and innovation centres, with one in five inhabitants working directly in these fields.[6][7][11] Grenoble is classified as a global city with the ranking of "sufficiency" by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The city held the title of European Green Capital in 2022.[12]

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Comparateur de territoire, INSEE
  4. ^ "Grenoble". Collins English Dictionary. Harper Collins. n.d. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  5. ^ Commune de Grenoble (38185), INSEE
  6. ^ a b Graff, James (22 August 2004). "Secret Capitals". Time. New York. Archived from the original on 23 August 2004. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  7. ^ a b Pentland, William (9 July 2013). "World's 15 Most Inventive Cities". Forbes. New York. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  8. ^ Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017, INSEE
  9. ^ Aire d'attraction des villes 2020 de Grenoble (014), INSEE
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference EB1911 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Communauté Université Grenoble Alpes (23 April 2015). "Université Grenoble Alpes : "1 out of 5" (english version)". Archived from the original on 11 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Grenoble as Green Capital 2022". EUROPARC Federation. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.