On 15 April 1889, Messieurs de Montal, Merceron, de Maisonville and Chabrand created the “Syndicat d’Initiative de Grenoble et du Dauphiné”.

The stated aim of the organisation was “to take any measures required to enhance the status of Grenoble and its region”.

The Syndicat d’Initiative – the Tourist Office – was to study any measures that might help to increase the prosperity of Grenoble and the Dauphiné region and to pursue them through to completion, while attempting to draw foreign visitors in particular to the city and surrounding area, and ensuring that they would have an enjoyable and trouble-free stay.

This sense of innovation and challenge has been a constant theme down through the decades, helping Grenoble to achieve its twofold status as

“Grenoble, Capital of the Alps
“Grenoble, Technology City