Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère, and is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution in 1790. Its capital city is Grenoble, located at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. The proximity of the mountains, as well as its size, has led to the city being known as the "Capital of the Alps".
Grenoble's history goes back more than 2,000 years, at a time when it was a small Gallic village. While it gained in stature by becoming the capital of the Dauphiné in the 11th century, Grenoble remained for most of its history a modest parliamentary and garrison city on the borders of the Kingdom of France. It grew in importance through its industrial development, the city having experienced several periods of economic expansion in the last centuries.
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