HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Voiron (; frp, Vouèron) is a commune (French municipality) in the ninth district of the Isère department in southeastern France. It is the capital of the canton of Voiron and has been part of the
Grenoble-Alpes Métropole Grenoble-Alpes Métropole is the ''métropole'', an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Grenoble. It is located in the Isère department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, eastern France. It was created in January 2015, replacin ...
since 2010. Voiron is located northwest of
Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
and southeast of Lyon. Its roughly 20,000 inhabitants are named ''Voironnais'' in French. Voiron, along with
Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chamb ...
and Grenoble, is a gateway city of the Chartreuse Mountains in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.


History

Voiron had been a part of the County of Savoy in the Middle Ages. In the Treaty of Paris (1355) the count exchanged Voiron and the rest of the region between the rivers
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
and Isère (watered by the
Guiers Mort The Guiers () is a river in the Isère and Savoie departments of eastern France. It is long. It rises in the Chartreuse Mountains. The part upstream from the confluence with the Guiers Vif The Guiers Vif (, literally ''live Guiers'') is a riv ...
) for Faucigny and
Gex Gex or GEX may refer to: People *Amélie Gex (1835–1883), French writer and poet * Émilie Gex-Fabry (born 1986), Swiss ski mountaineer, biologist, and botanist * John Peter De Gex (1809–1887), English barrister and law reporter * Walter J. Gex ...
from France.


17th and 18th centuries

In 1700, the capital of the Chartreuse massif and its surrounding area had about 1,200 inhabitants and more than a hundred of them worked in the processing of hemp. Since the beginning of the century, production had been organized around the Voironnaise factory and canvases were marked to certify their origin. The city acquired a great reputation thanks to its paintings resulting from a secular know-how. The privileges granted by
Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and b ...
disappeared during the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
. However, the production of canvas continued, and their reputation allowed Voiron to maintain this activity under the First Empire due in large part to purchases by the army.


19th century

The nineteenth century saw the decline of the era of canvas in Voiron because of the scarcity of
linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
and
cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor p ...
, and because of the disappearance of the sailing navy which had been a large consumer of canvasses. Voiron came to be known for its fine silks, sought after by European royalties. Voiron then benefited from a female workforce, housed at the factory and often poorly paid. Voiron also gained religious influence marked by the 1876 erection of the Saint-Bruno church of neo-Gothic style by a first magistrate. A statue representing the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, a tribute to Notre-Dame-de-France Puy-en-Velay, was also erected.


20th century

The company Skis Rossignol was founded in 1907 by Abel Rossignol. Entire families of Voiron, along with Italian immigrants who arrived en masse at the beginning of the century, worked in these factories. On the eve of the First World War, the silk-weaving business used nearly 3,000 looms. At the same time, the rise of paper mills on the banks of the Morge, the river crossing the small town, attracted workers to the city. The company Radiall was founded as well and the population of Voiron grew past 15,000.


21st century

Voiron remains a significant economic and administrative center of the department of Isère. Voiron has sought to keep its independence from its much larger neighbor, the
Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
conurbation. Voiron survived a difficult conversion after the departure of companies Rossignol and Johnson & Johnson. Pays Voironnais is working to attract new jobs aimed at limiting the dormitory phenomenon already affecting the suburbs of Voiron. However, because of the urban sprawl between
Voreppe Voreppe () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration).National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) as belonging to the
Grenoble-Alpes Métropole Grenoble-Alpes Métropole is the ''métropole'', an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Grenoble. It is located in the Isère department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, eastern France. It was created in January 2015, replacin ...
since 2010.


Geography

The city is located northwest of Grenoble and southeast of
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...
. Voiron is at an altitude of , on the Morge (a tributary of the Isère).


Population


Sights

The church of St Bruno was built between 1864 and 1873 at the expense of the monks of the Grande Chartreuse. Voiron was the starting-point of the steam tramways to Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, (for the Grande Chartreuse), and to Charavines, over (for the Lac de Paladru). The distillery Chartreuse Cellars is a popular tourist destination. It is the longest liqueur cellar in the world. The cellar is open year-round with English guided tours available during June, July, and August.


Economy

Voiron is a manufacturing town, and it contains numerous factories. Companies include:
Rossignol ''Rossignol'' is a French word meaning nightingale, and may refer to: People * Rossignols, a family of French cryptographers * André Rossignol (fl. 1923–1928), French racing driver * Bruno Rossignol (born 1958), French choral conductor and c ...
( skis), Radiall Connections, Antésite (a
liquorice Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English) ( ; also ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted. The liq ...
-flavored drink), Chartreuse liquor cellars, Bonnat Chocolatier (since 1884), and Allaman (manufacturing and transporting of petrol tanks).


Education

; Secondary (high school): * Lycée Édouard Herriot * Lycée Ferdinand Buisson * Lycée agricole La Martelière


Notable people

* Dantès Dailiang (born 1978), singer-songwriter * Christophe Bouchut (born 1966), race driver,
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose w ...
winner *
Mélina Robert-Michon Mélina Robert-Michon (; born 18 July 1979) is a French discus thrower. She was the silver medalist at the 2013 World Championships and 2016 Summer Olympics and the national record holder. She earned the bronze medal at the 2017 World Champ ...
(born 1979), discus thrower *
Fabien Centonze Fabien Centonze (born 16 January 1996) is a French professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Italian club Hellas Verona, on loan from Ligue 1 club Nantes. Career On 1 February 2024, Centonze joined Hellas Verona in Italy on loan w ...
(born 1996), footballer


Twin towns – sister cities

Voiron is
twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...
with: * Bassano del Grappa, Italy *
Droitwich Spa Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester. The ...
, England, United Kingdom *
Herford Herford (; nds, Hiarwede) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford. Geography Geographic locatio ...
, Germany *
Å ibenik Å ibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Å ibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Å ibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...
, Croatia


See also

* SO Voiron –
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
team


References


External links


Official site
{{Authority control Communes of Isère Dauphiné Isère communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia