Starting at the Tourism Office, stroll through the historic neighborhoods, making acquaintance with the not-to-be-missed sites that made history and brought fame to the capital of the Alps.

The old Parliament building (former court house), Saint André square

The jewel of Grenoble's architectural heritage, this remarkable building acted as the seat of justice for more than 500 years.
Home of the Dauphiné parliament and seat of the Chamber of Acconts and Deeds of Gresivaudan from the beginning of the the 16th century to 1790, it then became the Grenoble court house from 1800 to 2002 with the appeals court, circuit court, the court of first instance in civil and criminal matters, and the commercial court.

 

The old Parliament building, Grenoble

The ancient parliament was the highest justice court in the Dauphiné. It included around 70 magistrates: 10 court room presidents, 55 councillors, a general prosecutor, 3 attorneys general, and 2 knights of honor. The parliament recorded laws and edicts declared by the king so that they could be enforced in the province. Through the remonstrance register, the parliament nevertheless had the power to refuse the registration of a law they deemed unsuitable for the province. The increasingly frequent use of this right during the second half of the 18th century, and more notably in 1788, led Louis 16th to dissolve the parliament, a decision at the origin of the famous Day of the Roof Tiles.

Through its declarations concerning numerous fields of activity in the Dauphiné province, the parliament regulated and organized a major part of life in the province.

At the center of the square-side façade, the oldest parts of the building in a flamboyant Gothic style, were built of Echaillon stone under the reign of Louis XII, between 1490 and 1510.

 

 

 

The old Parliament building, Grenoble

The Chamber of Accounts ordered the construction of the prestigious right wing in gray-blue stone in the middle of the 16th century. This wing is built in typical Renaissance style. The architects Daumet ane Riondel, as part of the expansion and modernization of the courthouse between 1893 and 1897, reconstructed the left square-side façade, copying the Renaissance-style wing.

Inside there are two vaulted passageways. The oldest, in flamboyant Gothic style, has preserved two sculpted culs-de-lampes, which are quite interesting.

 

The second, in Renaissance style, shelters the (plaster copy) busts of the Dauphins who reigned in the Dauphiné from the 11th to the 14th century.

In one of the old civil court rooms, the walls are decorated with exceptional woodcarvings in flamboyant Gothic style, created by the German sculptor Paul Jude from 1521 to 1524 for the Chamber of Accounts.

 

 

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Old Lesdiguières House (former city hall)

Old Lesdiguières House, Grenoble

Residency of the Dukes of Lesdiguières, this home was built between 1600 and 1650 on the site of part of the Gallo-Roman rampart and actually pushed against one of the rampart towers, named the tower of the Treasury.

François de Bonne, first Duke of Lesdiguières, first built a strong house then his successors would expand the edifice in 1630 and 1650, giving it the size that we see today.

Inherited by the Villeroy family after the death of the last direct descendant of the Lesdiguières, the home was sold to the city of Grenoble in 1719 and would house the city hall from then until 1967.

Old Lesdiguières House, Grenoble

The administrative services of the court of first instance in civil and criminal matters and the Attorney General would occupy the building until 2002.

Today, only the ground floor remains occupied, by the International Relations Serivce, with an exhibit area, a mayor's office branch, and a children's library.

Renamed the Maison de l'International, the former home was recently completely renovated.

 

The old library-museum

The old library-museum, Grenoble

Inaugurated in 1872 after several years of construction interrupted by the war of 1870, the library museum was designed by the architect Questel in a rather neo-Renaissance style. It housed the public library until 1970 and the city's museum collections until 1993.

Five types of stone were used for the construction : Fontanil stone for the underground foundations ; Chomerac stone for the basement foundations; Sassenage stone for the basement; Echaillon stone for the entrance way and the window frames; limestone from Saint Paul les Trois Chateaux for the upper facades and the cornices.

The old library-museum, Grenoble

The interior layout of the building presents several technological innovations that were very modern for the time period, including the use of metal framework. The large reading room of the library, with its imposing dimensions and architectural design plus its five glass domes, is remarkably original. The Parisian painter Denuelle was in charge of the interior decoration, by two artists from the Dauphiné, Diodore-Raoult and Blanc-Fontaine, carried out the beautiful paintings in the vestibule.

The main façade, on the Verdun square, is decorated with 6 sculptures in niches. These were created by Blanc-Fontaine.
The sculptures on the left are allegories of painting, architecture, and sculpture. On the right are allegories of poetry, science, and history. Below the statues are six medallions featuring famous historical figures.

Today the building houses the Plate-Forme in what once was the museum. The Plate-Forme is an informational and exhibit area on urban projects in Grenoble.

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