Page 361 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

The pretty city of Grenoble, nestled among the French Alps

THE RHÔNE VALLEY

AND FRENCH ALPS

The Romans recognized the strategic value of
the the verdant rolling hills, mountainous reaches
and, especially, the snaking Rhône River, France’s
most important north–south transport artery,
2,000 years ago. They established Lyon as a
central trading station between the coast and
Paris. During the late 1400s, the city became
France’s most impor tant banking centre thanks
to trade fairs that also attracted the silk trade.
South-east of Lyon, the Alpine Dauphiné region
was purchased by France in 1349, although it
retained some autonomy until 1628. A stronghold
of Protestantism in the early 1500s, it was devas-
tated during the French Wars of Religion (1562–
98). Dur ing this period, the region’s famous
Beaujolais vineyards, along with the Côtes du
Rhône to the south, cemented the reputation of
winegrowers along the Rhône corridor. Canals were
used to transport bottles of wine to Paris and Nice.
Railways arrived in the early 1800s, and in sub-
sequent decades parts of the region – including
Grenoble, the capital – became industrialized. The
arrival of train travel also brought tourists to the
region, and elegant belle époque spa towns prolif-
erated all along the French shore of Lac Léman
(Lake Geneva). Following Axis occupation during
World War II, the French Alps rebounded in the
1950s and re-established the area’s alpine
landscapes as prime winter sports territory.
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