Isère, named after the river Isère, is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, from a part of the former province of Dauphiné. Its area has been reduced twice, in 1852 and again in 1967, on both occasions losing territory to the department of Rhône. Now it is part of the region of Rhône-Alpes. The capital of the department is Grenoble, known as the "Capital of the Alps". The Grande Chartreuse, located 14 miles north of Grenoble, is the mother abbey of the Carthusian order.
Read more »