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.

[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.

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.

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.

Three centuries later and with insecurity rising in the late Roman empire, a strong wall was built around the small town in 286 AD.

Their possessions at the time were a patchwork of several territories sprawled across the region,[17] and the central position of Grenoble allowed the Counts to strengthen their authority.

[18] The inhabitants of Grenoble took advantage of the conflicts between the Counts and the bishops and obtained the recognition of a Charter of Customs that guaranteed their rights.

He also ordered the construction of the Palais du Parlement (finished under Francis I) and ensured that the Bishop pledged allegiance, thus unifying the political control of the city.

In August 1575, Lesdiguières became the new leader of the Protestants and, thanks to the accession of Henry IV to the throne of France, allied himself with the governor and the lieutenant general of the Dauphiné.

The only building of this exhibition remaining in the park is the crumbling Tour Perret, which has been closed to the public since 1960 due to its very poor state of maintenance.

During World War II, at the Battle of France, the German invasion was stopped near Grenoble at Voreppe by the forces of General Cartier.

The relative tolerance of the Italian occupiers towards the Jewish populations resulted in a significant number moving to the region from the German-occupied parts of France.

[35] The University of Grenoble supported the clandestine operations and provided false documentation for young people to prevent them from being assigned to STO.

After the Normandy landing, resistance operations reached their peak, with numerous attacks considerably hampering the activity of German troops.

[40] Except for a few dozen houses on the slopes of the Bastille hill of Chartreuse, Grenoble is exclusively built on the alluvial plain of the rivers Isère and Drac at an altitude of 214 metres (702 ft).

[41] Abandoned mills and factories can be found in small towns and villages, and a few have been converted to tourist attractions, such as the coal mine at La Mure.

Innovative business activities as Apple Inc.[49] co-exist with housing, sporting facilities, contemporary music venue and arts centres as Le Magasin.

At the entrance to the Bouchayer-Viallet site, Square des Fusillés has been redeveloped and extended taking over an old car park, to facilitate access from the tramway stop and Cours Berriat.

The Bastille is one of Grenoble's most visited tourist attractions and provides a good vantage point over both the town below and the surrounding mountains.

This system of mostly transparent egg-shaped cable cars known to locals as "Les Bulles" (the bubbles) provides the occupants with an excellent view over the Isère.

An ongoing renovation project will give this building a new life whilst preserving its patrimonial character and adding a modern touch.

The painting holdings include works by painters such as Veronese, Rubens, Zurbarán, Ingres, Delacroix, Renoir, Gauguin, Signac, Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, Joan Miró, Paul Klee, Giorgio de Chirico and Andy Warhol.

Numerous other scientific laboratories are managed independently or in collaboration with the CNRS and the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA).

In order to foster this technological cluster university institutions and research organizations united to create the GIANT (Grenoble Innovation for Advanced New Technologies) Campus[62] with the aim at becoming one of the world's top campuses in research (CEA, CNRS), higher education (INP-UGA, Grenoble Ecole de Management), and high tech.

[citation needed] Its universities, alongside public scientific institutions, host some of the largest research centres in France (in fields such as political science, urban planning or the sociology of organizations).

Traditional industries in fields such as heavy equipment manufacturing and chemistry are still present and include Caterpillar, GE Renewable Energy, and Arkema.

With numerous associations like Open House, this large English-speaking population organizes family events making life in Grenoble harder to turn away from.

Highways link Grenoble to the other major cities in the area including the A48 autoroute to the northwest toward Lyon, the A49 to the southwest toward the Rhone valley via Valence, the A41 to the northeast toward Chambéry, the Alps, and Italy and Switzerland.

In 2016, the speed limit was lowered to 30 km/h (19 mph) on 80% of the streets of Grenoble and forty-two neighboring municipalities, to both improve safety and reduce pollution levels.