Grenoble Press Kit

14, rue de la République—38000 Grenoble Tél. : +33 (0)4 76 42 96 04

stephanie.julien@grenoble-tourisme.com

(A few numbers…) Grenoble counts 158,000 inhabitants in inner Grenoble. The greater Grenoble area includes 49 cities and 440,000 people.

61,000: that’s how many students choose Grenoble for their higher education. 14% of them are foreign students. After Paris, Grenoble is France’s largest public research center (Scientific Polygon, more than 10 000 scientists). Grenoble is the flattest city in France and its highest point is only 212 meters high!

Welcome to Grenoble…

…mountains of Culture! Grenoble is located in the southeast of France, in a strategic location at the crossroads between Northern and Southern Europe, and is one of the main cities of the Rhone-Alps region. Nestled at the heart of three Alpine ranges (Belledonne, Chartreuse and Vercors), Grenoble is France's flattest city, which culminates at only 212 meters in altitude! With a particularly dense and diverse architectural heritage, Grenoble, which exists for more than 2000 years, offers visitors a charming stroll through winding streets and lively squares where ancient Gallo-roman sites stand neighbour to innovative sustainable development constructions. Take a seat on one of the terraces of the pedestrian streets or on a paved square of the old city, and watch the city come to life: the students cycle, coming from all over the world and speaking all languages, families strolling through the streets, markets, concerts, festivals...Energy radiates through the city of Grenoble! In Grenoble, it’s easy to let your curiosity get the best of you. You’ll be tempted to discover exceptional cultural sites like the Grenoble Art Museum, the National Contemporary Art Centre (Le Magasin-CNAC)…or one of the twenty museums of the city! And if you want to enjoy local food, Grenoble has also an exceptional culinary heritage, coming from the grounds and people that fashioned the city and its surrounding region through centuries: potato gratin, crozet pasta, bugnes beignets, ravioles, and caillettes have stood the test of time and remain favorites even today. Lured by the omnipresence of the surrounding summits, you will no doubt want to get a change in perspective. An upward journey, as unique as it is unforgettable, on the Bastille’s urban cable car will give you one of the most beautiful panoramic views on the French Alps. Whatever your plans or your desires, the city's exceptional setting and environment make them possible. Family stroll, hike leaving directly from the city centre, donkey-back ride in the Vercors or Chartreuse mountains, snowshoe outing, dog sledding, ski: everything the mountain has to offer is accessible from Grenoble. So go ahead and give in! We’ll see you in Grenoble, a city height of expectations!

The fort and the cable car

Much more than a fortified mountain

As well as being a historic, touristic, and cultural site, the Bastille has also become its own neighborhood, that both locals and visitors alike enjoy (re)discovering throughout the year. In 2011, the cable car carried more than 300,000 people!

The Bastille fort

Built in 1591 by the Duke of Lesdiguières, the Bastille was entirely reconstructed from 1823 to 1848 to protect the city from any possible attacks by the Savoy Dukedom.

Le CAB (Bastille Art Center)

Located in one of the fort’s barracks, the Bastille Art Center features regularly changing contemporary art exhibits. www.cab-grenoble.net

The cable car In 1934, after the army left the mountain, a touristic cable car was built on the slopes of the Bastille. It was one of the first urban cable cars in the world, along with those of Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town.

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Acrobastille: Located at the summit of the Bastille, Acrobastille offer guests the opportunity to discover this exceptional historic site from the air!

www.accrobastille.fr

The Mountain Troops Museum

The museum takes visitors to the heart of the world of the mountain soldiers. It’s a veritable meeting place, where guests can meet and talk with mountain troops.

Restaurants / snacks Restaurant du Téléférique: local and seasonal food. An ideal place for a drink with friends or to take a family break. Panoramic terrace. Restaurant « Chez le Per Gras »: Laurent Gras and his staff offer recipes that are highly traditional and gastronomic. Panoramic terrace. Quick service restaurant: drinks, waffles, sandwiches and various “tartines”, pizzas…

The Museum of Grenoble

Inaugurated in 1994, the museum of Grenoble benefits from a magnificent setting, with 18000 square meters of space and a vast park filled with monumental sculptures. History The museum of Grenoble was founded in 1798 thanks to the spirit of initiative and tenacity of its first curator, Louis-Joseph Jay, and received large consignments from the State, which were followed by regular consignments throughout the 19th century.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Musée de Grenoble was already acknowledged as one of France’s great museums on account of the richness and quality of its antique art collection. Through the actions of Andry-Farcy, its curator from 1919 to 1949, it was also to become France’s foremost museum of modern art. Great artists from Matisse to Picasso and Bonnard to Léger entered its collections through donations the artists themselves were asked to make, such as the masterpiece of the collection, Matisse’s Interior with Eggplants. Gifts by collectors such as Jacques Doucet, Doctor Albert Barnes and Peggy Guggenheim, also helped to build up the collections, as did acquisitions made from such great dealers as Daniel Henry Kahnweiler, Ambroise Vollard, Paul Guillaume and Alfred Flechtheim. In 1923, the Agutte-Sembat bequest contributed a unique and substantial group of Neo-Impressionist (Signac, Cross) and Fauvist (Matisse, Derain, Marquet, Vlaminck) works to the museum’s holdings. Following in the footsteps of Andry-Farcy, other curators were determined to add to this prestigious collection with regular acquisitions and loans, most often focusing on art in the process of being created.

Architecture

In 1994, the museum left the 19th century building that had been its home for more than a century, and moved into a new building, whose temperate and relevant design is better suited to the requirements of modern-day museum exhibition design.

The different areas follow on from one other around a chronological circuit, with specific zones for each century in the permanent collection. Almost eleven thousand square feet of floor space with movable partitions are reserved for temporary exhibitions. The drawing section has found a prime location in a medieval tower, which is linked to the new building via a glass-paneled footbridge. A simple circuit, predominantly zenithal lighting and views over the town create a serene atmosphere, ideal for exploring the collections.

Collections Collections are made of two distinct categories: the first is dedicated to 13th through 19th century art, while the second presents the 20th century, from the conquest of modern art up to more recent formal development. The collection of antique Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art, has found its place in the three rooms located beneath the entrance hall of the museum.

www.museedegrenoble.fr

Grenoble boasts many other sites where visitors can discover, learn, observe, and enjoy culture…Here are just a few examples:

Musée dauphinois : www.musee-dauphinois.fr

Located in a 17th century convent building, this Alpine museum presents a varied exhibits on regional heritage from the past and present, including The People of the Alp (a presentation of 19th century rural mountain life) and the Grand History of Skiing. The museum was created in 1906 thanks to the initiative of its first curator Hippolyte Müller, who sought to link the first inhabitants of the region to those who still live here today.

The Dauphinois museum is located in what was once the Sainte Marie d'en Haut convent. Classified as a historical monument, the complex was founded at the beginning of the 17th century by saint Francis de Sales and saint Jeanne de Chantal. After an eventful history, which saw the building used as a prison, religious boarding school, barracks, and immigrant housing, the building was restored for the 1968 winter Olympics in Grenoble. The Dauphinois museum, in its current location, was inaugurated that same year by André Malraux. As a veritable regional museum of mankind, the Dauphinois museum looks at all the aspects of life and history in the old Dauphiné province, and on a wider scale, in the French Alps. Archeology, pre-history and history, ethnology, industrial heritage, and regional decorative arts are just some of the fields that this museum deals with.

Musée de l’ancien Evêché : www.ancien-eveche-isere.fr

At the heart of Grenoble’s historic district, the museum offers a journey below Notre Dame square, to the vestiges of the city’s fortified ramparts, Grenoble’s first baptistery, and into the old bishop’s palace. Located on the three floors of the old Episcopal palace, a permanent exhibit offers a journey into the history of mankind and the history of a land, the Isere, from early evidence of human present all the way to the 20th century.

The museum acts as a sort of historical epic, the first of its kind in the Isere department, which gives us reference points and mentions the region's main historical monuments. No other cultural institution had given itself such a mission, to offer such a synthetic view of the department's history and development. The visit of the Ancient Bishopric Museum is chronological and takes the visitor through six successive periods:

Prehistory, the Gallo-Romain period, the Middle Ages, Modern Times, the 19th century, and the 20th century.

Museums of Grenoble

Museums of Grenoble

Musée Archéologique Grenoble Saint Laurent: www.musee-archeologique-grenoble.fr

A rarity in Europe, this museum was installed in an old church. The structure was among the first to be classified as a Historic Monument of France. Its Merovingian-era crypt is a unique witness to the art and architecture of the very early Middle Ages. Located in one of the town's oldest neighbourhoods, the Grenoble Saint-Laurent Museum of Archaeology (MAG) takes you on a journey through time to the dawn of Christianity.

The site is certainly well renowned, thanks in particular to its early Christian sanctuary with an exceptional 6th century crypt, but recent alterations have brought out the full value of this remarkable structure, which is classified as a historical monument. Located in one of the town's oldest neighbourhoods, the Grenoble Saint-Laurent Museum of Archaeology (MAG) takes you on a journey through time to the dawn of Christianity. The site is certainly well renowned, thanks in particular to its early Christian sanctuary with an exceptional 6th century crypt, but recent alterations have brought out the full value of this remarkable structure, which is classified as a historical monument.

Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation : www.resistance-en-isere.fr

The Resistance and Deportation Museum is designed to be a veritable history museum, even if it also serves as a memorial site. The Resistance and deportation are approached through local history, the people, and the episodes that took place.

Six main themes are developed inside the museum: - The beginning of the Resistance, a pivotal moment for Grenoble. Few French cities saw resistance movements grow in as many groups and situations as Grenoble did. - The resistance fighters and their preponderant position in the Isere department, from 1943 on. They all communicated via Grenoble, which was thus baptized "capital of the resistance fighters." - The situation of Grenoble's and Isere's Jewish population, from the 1930s to the time of the German occupation. - The violent repression that struck the directors of the main resistant movements, especially at the end of 1943, during what is called the "Grenoble Saint Barthelemy," and the deportation which revealed the monstrosity of Nazi logic. - The Liberation and the role of the Departmental Committee of National Liberation, born out of the "Monaco" meeting, where the representatives of the Resistance decided to rally their actions around the values of the French Republic. - Current resistance movements, because today, the Nazi ideology has yet to completely disappear and many countries suffer from totalitarian or terrorist regimes.

Museums of Grenoble

Muséum d’histoire naturelle: www.museum-grenoble.fr

The natural history museum of Grenoble is dedicated to furthering knowledge of life, earth, and universe science. Its rich collection of animals, plants, and minerals, starting with the origin of life on earth, is one of the largest collections in France. The natural history museum, was designed by architect Paul Benoit Barillon and was built within the Botanical Garden, just outside the city, from 1848-1851. Under the direction of curators Hippolyte Bouteille and Luis Rérolle, the museum, with 3000 m2 of exhibition halls, was quickly filled with collections hailing from all of the world's continents.

The Museum's collections, studied and classified, are regularly displayed within permanent or temporary exhibits, used as a pedagogical and cultural support for various audiences and are the setting from various activities such as workshops, film showings, conferences, and debates. With eight accessible rooms, the Natural History Museum of Grenoble offers its visitors a conservation site for the area's natural heritage and a remarkable body for sharing scientific knowledge.

Musée Stendhal : www.stendhal-grenoble.fr

CCSTI La Casemate : www.ccsti-grenoble.org

Science-based exhibits and workshop area aimed at audiences of all ages. Interactive exhibits for all ages, meetings and debates with scientists at the Casemate or an outside venue, multimedia or genetics workshops, the CCSTI invites you to come discover the world of science and technology through original presentations.

Le Magasin- CNAC: www.magasin-cnac.org

Le MAGASIN is one of France’s foremost sites dedicated to contemporary art since 1986. It plans and organizes temporary exhibits by working closely with the artists invited to expose here. MAGASIN- Centre National d'Art Contemporain in Grenoble was founded in 1986. A result from the decentralization movement in France, MAGASIN promotes contemporary art through temporary exhibitions, as well as the production and circulation of works. Its aim is to present art in all its diversity (painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video ...).

The art centre is housed in an industrial hall built by Gustave Eiffel's workshops for the 1900 Paris World Faire. Manufacturers Bouchayer and Viallet bought the iron structure and reassembled it in Grenoble. Today the vast hall under a glass roof, known as the 'Street', allows large-scale in situ installations. MAGASIN includes a bookshop specialized in contemporary art, and hosts an international curatorial training program, unique in France: the École du MAGASIN.

Musée des Troupes de Montagne : www.bastille-grenoble.fr

Inaugurated in October 2009, Mountain Troops Museum of Grenoble takes an ethnological, anthropological, and sociological look at the life of mountain troops. All of the themes presented place man, as the mountain soldier, in his environment. Through its rich collection and innovative layout, the museum offers an attractive visit presenting the history of the Mountain Troops from its foundation to today. Thanks to the audio guide, a multilingual voice will recount the story of this Alpine adventure.

Centre d’Art Bastille : www.bastille-grenoble.fr

This art center aims to offer a new approach to contemporary art and to introduce present art production to a wider public. All visits of the exhibitions are explained. Mediators may offer workshops special visits as well as activities on contemporary

art.

Museums of Grenoble

Natural parks …

Grenoble sits at the heart of a natural environment unlike any other in Europe thanks to the surrounding Chartreuse, Vercors, and Belledonne mountains. They constantly beckon, inviting you to escape to a world of natural discovery! Hikes for all levels, ideal for families : Lace up your hiking boots and take the whole family to explore the surrounding forests and hills. It’s a breath of fresh air that will revive and invigorate!

Hikes under 3 hours, accessible level : Beneath the intense blue sky, the paths of the regional nature parks wind through the forests and over steep slopes to unveil their authentic side. From the calming pastures and mountain forests of the Charturese to the richly varied plant and animal life of the Luitel reserve and the limestone summits of the Vercors, everything here is so serene. How wonderful it is to feel so free!

Powerful and authentic fine dining The Grenoble « terroir » pays tribute to the mountains as much as it puts them within reach. Cheeses, cured meats, and walnuts are the veritable treasures of ancestral know-how, labeled with various “appellations d’origine controlee” certifications. Green Chartreuse and Gratin Dauphinois are the hallmarks of this culinary tradition that is Made in Dauphiné!

Maison de la Montagne 3 rue Raoul Blanchard

38000 GRENOBLE +33 (0)4 76 44 67 03

www.grenoble-montagne.com

Stendhal

Henri Beyle, also known as Stendhal, was born on January 23, 1783 in Grenoble and died on March 23, 1842 in Paris. He spent the first 16 years of his life with his well-to-do family in Grenoble. His mother died when he was just 7 and he soon rebelled against the tyranny of his caretakers and his father. He would find the happiest moments of his youth in the company of his grandfather, the intellectual Dr. Henri Gagnon. His autobiography, The Life of Henry Brulard, was written from 1835 to 1836 and tells of his childhood in the Dauphiné province. Stendhal took part in Napoleon’s campaigns in Italy and Russia, under command of the emperor. He would hold an intendant position in Germany and thus took his pen name from a German city. He first wrote as Stendhal in 1817, with the book Rome, Naples, and Florence. He was fascinated by Italy and made it his adopted home country, where he could quench his thirst for beauty and art. As a travel writer and sociologist ahead of his times, he left us with detailed descriptions of the landscapes and social norms of the people he met in Memoirs of a Tourist (1838) and Promenades in Rome (1829). He continued to observe and record the world that surrounded him when he was named Consul in 1830, first in Trieste, then in Civitachecchia. Stendhal was never very famous during his lifetime and did not live to see the publication of several of his works, including the novels Armance (1827), The Red and the Black (1830), and The Charterhouse of Parma (1839).

Follow in the footsteps of Stendhal… All year long, the Tourism Office offers guided tours and lecture-visits to allow visitors to discover the key sites from Stendhal’s childhood in Grenoble: his childhood home at 14 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the Jardin de Ville park, and the home of his beloved grandfather Dr. Gagnon. This writer has lots of secrets to share!

Visits led by a guide and an actor

More information at www.grenoble-tourisme.com

History and monuments to discover

A primitive city at the convergence of the Drac and Isère rivers became known as Cularo in the 1st century B.C. Dwellings were then concentrated on the left bank of the Isère, on a little inlet safely tucked away from floods. On the right bank, where the Saint Laurent neighborhood sits today, crypts were built. At the end of the 3rd century the city surrounded itself with fortified walls and today, you can still see where it stood in relation the the old city. Thanks to emperor Gratien, Cularo becomes an official Roman city under the name of Gratianopolis. Transformations of this name over the centuries give us today’s Grenoble. At the end of the 4th century, the city was placed under the bishop’s authority and remained protected by the city walls, with power concentrated at the episcopal seat. In the Middle Ages, neighborhoods began springing up at the city’s portals and the walls could no longer contain a growing population. After the turbulant times of the Religious Wars, François de Bonne, future Duke of Lesdiguières surrounded the city with new ramparts that enlarged the surface of the city in the 17th century.

Beautiful buildings have come down to us from these historic times :

Old Parliament Building : This remarkable building was the seat of justice in Grenoble for more than 500 years and today is one of the jewels of Grenoble’s architectural heritage. Hôtel d’Ornacieux townhouse, 8 rue Chenoise : The Hôtel d'Ornacieux townhouse was built after 1630 and has preserved its bicolor limestone-framed portal crowned with an open rounded stone pediment. A remarkable loggia stairway, with its stone balustrades, occupies one side of the courtyard. Hôtel de Croÿ Chasnel and Pierre Bucher : The townhouse is composed of two buildings from two different time periods, and with two distinctive styles. At the back of the courtyard stands the Renaissance townhouse, built around 1570 by Pierre Bucher, parliamentarian and president of the university. Episcopal group : Overlooked by the massive brick tower of the cathedral bell tower, the episcopal group was the seat of religious power in Grenoble from the end of the 4th century. Old Saint Laurent church : The former Saint Laurent parish church and its immediate surroundings make up a complex archeological site unlike any other in Europe. The oldest parts date back to ancient times and the early Middle Ages.

Contemporary architecture

The city of Grenoble has finished, planned, or is planning numerous grand urban projects. The result is a flurry of

interesting contemporary architectural projects that meet sustainable development standards and are certified as

High Environmental Quality buildings.

The Bonne ecological neighborhood : On the site of the vaste Bonne barracks (built in 1883), of which the main buildings that surround the courtyard have been preserved, the city of Grenoble commissioned a new residential and commercial neighborhood, on the cutting edge of eco-technology. Mixed building, Lustucru commercial zone : The architecture of the building expresses the meetings, the frictions, and the flow of energy. It also pays tribute to Grenoble’s modern architecture, which was highly influenced by the 1968 Winter Olympics. The indented façade, the practical suppositions, and the expressive volumes are all characteristic

elements of this architecture.

The bikeable building, Vigny-Musset commercial zone: This building borrows the idea of storage rooms from detached houses, and this has since become the image of the building. It includes 56 rent-to-own apartments designed so that each inhabitant can arrive directly at their apartment by bike, rollerblades, or scooter. The upper cable car station: During the works to make the Bastille handicapped-accessible, the upper cable car station was redone in 2005. Its minimalist design was voluntarily chosen so as not to compete with the existing structures. The architectural elements are made of glass and Corten steel.

Grenoble’s glove-making industry

For centuries, Grenoble was the world capital of luxury glove-making, with its products known the world over. This activity came into being in the 14th century and reached its peak in the 18th century, with a reputation that spread throughout Europe. Locals will recognize the great names of glove-making: Perrin, Rey-Jouvin, Fischl, Terray and Vallier employed thousands of workers to create gloves of the highest quality. The presence of nearby goat farms and a female work force looking to earn a little extra money for the family budget contributed to the quick development of the Grenoble glove industry. Italians from the Pouilles and Corato regions immigrated to the Saint Laurent neighborhood on the right bank of the Isère river and became the main suppliers of fine animal hides. This part of Grenoble has kept its Italian accent. The glove industry was at its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries, when 4,500 factory workers and 64 master glove-makers worked in Grenoble, at the dawn of the French Revolution. In 1832, Xavier Jouvin gave new life to the industry and forever changed the way gloves were made when he invented the « iron hand. » This veritable metal template made it possible to standardize glove-making and speed up production. In 1870, 32,000 workers produced 12 million pairs of gloves! The niche market for luxury gloves that sustained the Grenoble glove industry began to decline in the early 20th century when new, competiting cities like Millau and Paris began producing fabric gloves that were lower quality but less expensive. Grenoble’s glove-making industry quickly declined after WWII, and today it is practically dead.

(What about Grenoble’s glove industry today?) Ganterie Lesdiguières : Today, there is one traditional glove-making artisan who continues the trade today. His name is Mr. Jean Strazzeri and his boutique is located in the heart of the city center, but the workshop is still in Fontaine, on the outskirts of Grenoble. www.ganterie-lesdiguieres-barnier-grenoble.com FST Handwear : Born and raised in Grenoble, Benjamin Cuier, Philippe Larguèze and Simon Baret are shaking up the traditional glove-making trade by using the products as a new means of artistic expression. Just like the tee-shirt has become an incredibly popular way of expressing oneself, gloves can now be seen as a unique way to stand out from the crowd! fsthandwear.com

Grenoble and fine food

The AOC Grenoble walnut : It comes in three varieties—Franquette, Mayette, and Parisienne. Thanks to its dry and rich taste, it was the first walnut to benefit from the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) certification on June 17, 1938. Chartreuse liqueur: Carthusian monks have been guarding this precious secret for centuries, since it dates back to 1605. The recipe was finalized in 1737 and includes 130 plants at 110 proof. It is distilled in the Chartreuse cellars in nearby Voiron.

Saint Marcellin cheese: This « Saint Marcellin tomme » was originally made with goat cheese and comes from the southern Isère. In the 18th century, Saint Marcellin began to be made with raw cow’s milk. Gratin Dauphinois : Although each family safely guards its own « true recipe » for gratin, one thing is certain—it includes potatoes, cream and/or milk, some seasoning, and a secret ingredient. It pairs perfectly with hearty winter meals.

La Fromagerie des Alpages in Grenoble, where you’ll find Bernard Mure-Ravaud, world champion of cheesemongers and Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France’s top tradesman).