Seine-sational Comeback: Parisians Take the Plunge After 100 Years!

Parisians and travelers are swimming in the Seine River for the first time since 1923, as the French capital officially opens three official swimming areas along its famous waterway. The momentous occasion comes after a massive €1.4 billion clean-up drive prior to the Paris 2024 Olympics, which turned the previously heavily polluted river into a safe and welcoming place for bathers.

 

Key Highlights:

 

The three pools for bathing are walking distance from the Eiffel Tower (L'île aux Cygnes), Notre-Dame Cathedral, and Bibliothèque nationale de France, and each of them has showers, changing rooms, and lifeguards.

 

Free entry until August 31, 2025, with 150 to 300 swimmers per sector, with beach-style areas for sunbathing.

 

Water quality is closely monitored and is to European standards of safety, although lifeguards watch for the swimmers' ability due to powerful currents and a mean depth of 3.5 meters (11 feet).

 

It is forbidden to swim in the Seine since 1923 due to pollution and safety risks resulting from boat traffic and strong currents. The ban persisted even after attempts to revoke it over decades.

 

The reopening is one of the major Olympic legacies and is included in Paris's broader climate adaptation and urban regeneration scheme, with President Macron describing it as a "source of pride" for France.

 

The authorities instruct bathers to remain in demarcated areas to avoid fines and stay safe.

 

Prospects:

 

The reopening of the Seine is a symbol of Paris regaining its river as a genuine public space, where heritage, recreation, and ecological growth converge. The scheme not only provides respite from the heatwaves of Europe but is also a model for urban waterways globally, inspiring cities to restore and take pride in their natural heritage.

 

Source: DW, Reuters, CNN