Saint-Martin-d'Hères (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ maʁtɛ̃ dɛʁ]; Arpitan: Sant-Martin-d’Èra) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration), it is the largest suburb of the city of Grenoble and is adjacent to it on the east.
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History
The commune was created around 1100 where the church of St. Martin was located. During the Middle Ages it was administered at some points by the lords of the Castle of Gières, and at other times by the bishop of Grenoble, who had religious and seigniorial disputes with the former. The city remained a mostly rural area, until the 19th century, when it saw its first industrial developments with the opening of roads and railways. In the 1950s and the 1960s the city saw a "new era" with a significant demographic expansion caused by the installation of the University of Grenoble.
The city is limited at the north by the Isère. It is located in an area historically prone to flooding by it and by the Mogne and Sonnant streams, though the floods stopped since the construction of dykes and the channelization of the Mogne and Sonnant streams.
The Hôtel de Ville is a former factory which was converted in 1981.
Education
Saint-Martin-d'Hères is the home of the Université Grenoble Alpes main campus "Domaine Universitaire de Grenoble", a center of higher education in the region. The university features the Centre universitaire d'études françaises (CUEF). The CUEF offers second language instruction in French, and attracts students from a variety of foreign countries. Several universities in the United States sponsor study-abroad programs affiliated with the CUEF.
Notable people
Chloé Aurard, ice hockey player
Cristobal Huet, ice hockey player
Alexandre Texier, ice hockey player
Suzanne Balguerie, soprano; died here
Yoann Bonato, rally driver
Aurélien Panis, racing driver
Tristan Vautier, racing driver
Olivier Véran, politician
Sights
Arboretum Robert Ruffier-Lanche