Grenoble

Grenoble, a town in the south-west of France, formerly capital of the province of Dauphine, and now of the department of the Isere, on the left bank of which it stands, being 58 miles east of Lyons. It has a very fine situation, looking to (he east towards the Alps, and encompassed by hills to the north and west also, though having the rivers Isere and Drac between. The city passed from the Burgundians to the Franks, and again was included in a Burgundiein kingdom. In the 13th century it came under the power of the Counts of Albon, afterwards called Dauphins, and in 1349 was ceded to France. Under the governorship of Lesdiguieres ("Leroi des Montagnes"), after the accession cif Henri IV., it acquired great importance, and in 1788 it vigorously defended its privileges against the central government. It received Napoleon on his return from Elba, but was speedily retaken. Its situation between two rivers has made it liable to floods, the worst of which have been in 1219, 1778, and 1859. Its chief buildings are the cathedral of Notre Dame, of which Charlemagne is the traditional founder; the church of St. Andre (13th century), to which the tomb of Bayard was removed in 1822; the church of St. Laurence, with an 11th-century crypt; and the Palais de Justice (15th and 16th century). There is a university and a valuable library, and among the many institutions are the Academie Delphinale, a large hospital, and a benefit society, which was one of the earliest of its kind. Grenoble is protected by the Bastille standing on the hills towards the north, and has an important school of artillery. It has an extensive glove trade, and liqueurs, straw hats, and leather are also made.