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Cularo pellets

Walking through the city center of Grenoble, we found some pellets on the ground with the mention: “Rempart Cularo 3^ème siècle”.

So, what is it?

A pellet in Grenoble.

Cularo is the Gallic name of Grenoble until 381. As in all others cities of Gaul at this period, people built walls to protect themselves from invaders. These pellets on the ground represent the path of the Roman wall of Grenoble.

There were 39 towers and walls measured 3m in depth and 5m in heigh. Nowadays, most of the walls have been destroyed and there are only few pieces in the city or at the museum of “L’Ancien Evêché”.

There were also two large entrance doors for carts: Grenette Square and Notre-Dame Square. These large wooden doors were protected by nails to avoid the ax thumps. There was also machicolation in order to throw stones at the attackers.

There were also smaller gates called the posterns for pedestrians.

A postern.

To finish, some streets are curved because they followed the ancient walls and houses relied on them.

A curved street.

Who Is Henri Beyle?

A bit of culture never killed somebody!

For teenagers living in Grenoble, he is a high school or an University even if he was one the greatest French writer in the early 19^th century. The Red and The Black, La Chartehouse of Parma… Still no idea? Well it could be only Stendhal who was born in Grenoble in 1783!

In the daily life, Stendhal was Henri Beyle, Stendhal was only his favourite pseudonym, the one that earned his renown. But why did he choose this name? The question brings us to Germany. Before writing books, Stendhal fought for the Napoleon Army. He took part at the Prussia Campaign and arrived in Braunschweig in 1806. He surrounded the city and discovered the city Stendal. He loved so much this little town that he added a « h » between the « d » and « a » because he thought that it would emphasize the German origin.

Some explain that the French writer devoted an unbridled admiration to Johann Joachim Winckelmann, born in Stendal in 1717. He is the founder of the modern archaeology and an advocate of the Antiquity Art. Another theory points that Stendhal met Minna von Griesheim and shared a passionate love story between 1807 and 1808. Thus, it is rather for love that he chose this pseudonym.

After his military career, Stendhal moved in Paris where he wrote most of his masterpieces till his death in 1843. If you want to know more about Stendhal, you can visit the apartment where he spent all his childhood in Grenoble! For further information, check the website: http://www.bm-grenoble.fr/596-stendhal.htm

Stendhal, by Olof Johan Södermark, 1840

The mystery of the magic square « Sator »

There is a very old door in the Jean-Jacques Rousseau street, in the historic neighborhoods of Grenoble, on which is engraved a strange message. It is composed of five Latin words whose origin and meaning have never been discovered yet.

Whatever the reading direction, horizontal left to right or right to left, or vertical downward and upward, the magic square always delivers the same message, consisting of the following five Latin words: « SATOR » « AREPO », « TENET », « OPERA », « ROTAS ».

A mysterious message that is repeated in every sense of reading.

The mystery increases when we know that the same square was found in several countries in Europe and the Middle East. Its earliest representation was discovered in the ruins of Pompeii, which traces its origin no later than the year 79 AD.
It is also found in other Italian cities such as Rome, Siena or Cremona, Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Conimbriga in Portugal, Circencester in UK, Budapest in Hungary, 8 French towns but also in the ancient site of Dura Europos in Syria and in Egypt.

All these places have one thing in common: they are very ancient human occupation sites, all confined within the borders of what the Roman Empire was.

The same old square was found in several countries.

Much ink has been spilled on the magic square Sator for centuries, involving attempts to explain them with different interpretations: religious, numerological, and even alchemy.
One of the most popular theories is the Christian explanation: the square Sator was used by early Christians in the Roman Empire. Persecuted and forced to hide, the magic square have served their recognition code.

But, a recognition code engraved on the walls is not really discreet.

Actually, we will probably never know the meaning of this mysterious message…

Jean Jaurès, the longest European avenue

Cours Jean Jaurès à Grenoble

Do you know the “cours Jean Jaurès” in Grenoble? We bet YES! But did you know it is the longest straight avenue in Europe? Let’s explain this!

This avenue starts with the name “cours Jean-Jaurès” (just at the bottom of the famous “Bastille”) and becomes the “cours de la Libération et du Général de Gaulle” when it crosses the “boulevard Maréchal Foch”. Then this avenue comes back to the name of the “cours Jean-Jaurès” when it crosses the European road E712 (N87 in French). It finally becomes the “cours Saint André” when the avenue enters in the city of “Le Pont de Claix”.

We have already heard you saying “Why does it change of name?” Here is our answer.

Initially, the whole avenue was baptized “cours Saint André”, but since it has crossed different cities, they all have the right to name it as they want. “Le pont de Claix” has decided to keep the original name “cours Saint André” which was the name of a powerful family in the 17^th century. In 1920, Grenoble decided to baptize its part of the avenue “cours Jean Jaurès” and in 1944 (5^th of December), Grenoble baptized the south part of the avenue “cours de la Libération et du Général de Gaulle” to honor the famous Général de Gaulle.

What does this avenue stand for?

At the starting point (the end of the 17th century), it was a small dyke to help the Drac’s canal in the struggle of the overflowing and where citizen went to take for a walk. Today, it gathers hundreds of business, shops and stores and is one of the center of the economy in Grenoble.

How deep is the avenue?

To compare to Paris, between the “place de la Concorde” and the “Defense”, there is only 5.8 kilometers and the famous avenue “Champs Elysées”, which is one of the most known avenue in Europe lengths only 2 kilometers. This avenue lengths 7.8 kilometers and is 50 meters width.

“Baaaaaaaaaaaa !!”: The story of Cheaper Sheep!

Even if Grenoble is not a countryside city, everywhere you go you can find little sheep which are looking at you! Actually, these sheep belong to a thirty years old Grenoble artist who prefers concealing his name and being called The Sheepest (a pun between sheep and cheap).

He compares himself as an urban artist with more than 150 sheep stuck in 2 or 3 years in the city of Grenoble. His story comes from his friends who had been sticking stickers against advertising in the city. He liked the concept so he drew a sheep. In an interview, he said that: “I want to challenge people. The sheep is a follower: he makes people think about the consumer society”, with this slogan: I follow who I am.

How his sheep is drawn is a wink: it represents a head coming out of nowhere or hidden in a recess.

He describes himself as a non-aggressive person who does not want to impose his sheep to anyone. He said: « My sheep, if we do not like them, take them off. Moreover, most of these stickers get stuck no more than one year. Just two or three are painted…”

Furthermore, sheep are not displayed randomly. It is related to the architecture. And like a sheep, he likes blending into the landscape to paste posters.

But what does the city think about this?

While Grenoble’s employees are trying to erase the traces of tags or graffiti on the walls, The Sheepest’s sheep remain! Indeed, municipal employees told him that they appreciate his sheep and they gave instructions to not remove them.

As a conclusion, a lot of people try to find the 150 sheep across the city but no one has succeeded in yet. So, if you have time to spend, we will bet a penny on you that this quest will make you say “Baaaaaaaaaa”!

Have you find it ? Look at the top of the building!

Have you found it ? Look at the top of the building!

Be careful, it is looking at you !

This sheep is so cute!

Have you already seen Titeuf in Grenoble?

Everyone knows this little guy from the comic books “Titeuf” with his blond quiff on his head and who always talks about Nadia, the girl of his dreams, or video games with his friends and always tells stories to his parents when he got a bad mark at school. But did you know that a little statue of him is in Grenoble?

If you went for a walk in the Antiquarian neighborhood, Titeuf might observe you. Indeed he overhangs the main entrance of the Sainte-Cécile convent where Glénat’s headquarters are based. Jacques Glénat created Glénat, a publishing house, 46 years ago in Grenoble.

For its 40^th birthday, its founder, still at the head of the company, set up the head office inside the convent after renovating it. By the way, if you wish to, you can visit it everyday and discover the world of the publishing house: books from cooking to extreme sports, mangas, press and comics, all the publications are available in a huge and modern bookcases. The success of Glénat started when it first introduced the history comics with “The Wind’s Knights”. Then it imported Japanese Culture in France throughout mangas such as “One Piece”, “Dragonball”.

Afterwards, 20 years ago, Zep created Titeuf, one of the biggest selling of Glénat from the first edition. 13 tomes later, the success of this little kid keeps growing. To celebrate this, in March 2011 when the latest tome released, they built Titeuf with his hands in the pocket in the frontage of the convent. After Saint-Cécile, Saint-Titeuf is keeping an eye on Glénat and all the walkers he sees all day and night long…

Check all Glénat’s publications on its website: http://www.glenat.com/