Grenoble

Grenoble (population 160,000) is a city in south-east France, situated at the foot of the Alps, at the confluence of the Drac into the Isère. It is the préfecture (capital) of the Isère département.

Grenoble is a major scientific center, especially in the fields of physics, computer science and applied mathematics. The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and several laboratories of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique (INRIA) and the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique are located in Grenoble.

Grenoble is surrounded by mountains: to the north the Chartreuse, to the west the Vercors, and to the east the Belledonne range.

Grenoble is famous for its walnuts, for which it enjoys an appelation of controlled origin.

In 1968, Grenoble hosted the Winter Olympic Games. See 1968 Winter Olympics