Running through the very heart of Paris, the Seine is the beating heart of the City of Light. Walking along the banks of the Seine River or taking a relaxing boat tour down its waters is an excellent way to get acquainted with the City of Light. The gentle waterway is an integral part of the city and its fascinating history. Lined with traditional booksellers and bordered by beautiful boulevards, historic cafés and charming neighborhoods, the river is an attraction in its own right. Along the way you’ll encounter a series of beautiful and historic bridges, along with some of the French capital’s most famous buildings and monuments, including the Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower and the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The Cathedral of Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle are two architectural masterpieces, while the wide squares and boulevards built by Baron Haussmann for Napoleon III influenced late 19th- and 20th-century urban planning all over the world. According to his will, Napoleon, who died in 1821, wished to be buried on the banks of the Seine. His request was not granted. The Seine – along with nearby towns and villages – has been the inspiration and the subject of painters for centuries, and none more so than the Impressionists.
Since 1991, the Seine River in Paris has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means that this place is recognized as an important cultural and natural area and is highly protected.
The name “Seine” comes from the Latin Sequana, the Gallo-Roman goddess of the river. The Seine River is the second longest river flowing completely in France. It is a 777 kilometers long river and is an important commercial waterway. The source of River Seine is a village named Source-Seine, 30 kilometers northwest of Dijon in northeastern France. Because the river flows through the middle of Paris, it divides the city into the Left Bank, or Rive Gauche, and the Right Bank, or Rive Droite.
The Seine source is at a height of 471 meters above sea level. From its source, the Seine flows from southeast to northwest. At its mouth, it is more than 16 kilometers wide. It flows through Troyes, Paris, the province of Normandy and the city of Rouen, entering the English Channel in an estuary between Le Havre and Honfleur. The Seine River is one of the most navigable rivers in France, it has been a great commercial artery since Roman times.
The basin area is 78,910 square kilometers, 2 percent of which is forest and 78 percent cultivated land. The average depth of the Seine today at Paris is about 9.5 meters. The average flow of the river is very low, only a few cubic meters per second, but much higher flows are possible during periods of heavy runoff. Four large storage reservoirs have been built since 1950 on the Seine. These help in maintaining a constant level for the river through the city, but cannot prevent significant increases in river level during periods of extreme runoff. The dams are Lac d’Orient, Lac des Settons, Lake Der-Chantecoq, and Auzon-Temple and Amance, respectively Its main tributaries are the Aube, the Yonne , the Loing, the Essonne, the Eure, the Marne, the Aisne and the Oise which has its source in Belgium.
Initially, the river was inhabited by tribes that were attacked and attacked by the Romans. When the Seine River in Paris became known as the Sequana, many events took place along it, including coups. It is still a waterway and the main commercial center of Paris, and more than half of the water used in Paris comes from the Seine.
The Seine River doesn’t have the best water. Running through such a big city like Paris, you are guaranteed to have some pollution. The Seine’s water is polluted with high levels of heavy metals, nutrients, sediment, and bacteria. This is mainly caused by the waste water and the surface runoffs from Paris. Heavy Metals include copper, cadmium, lead, and zinc. The toxic pollutants in the surface runoffs include mercury, nickel, chromium, toluene, DDT, and other pesticides and herbicides. These pollutants are at an even greater amount when there are high rainfalls. This is not mainly because of the high runoffs cause by the rainfalls, but also because the sewage systems in Paris experience a “sanitary sewage overflow”. Under these conditions, if the untreated sewage is leaked, it will discharge in the Seine River. Therefore causing pollution. The pH level of the Seine at Pont Neuf has been measured to be 8.46. Despite all this pollution, the Seine’s water has fortunately improved. In 2009, it was announced that Atlantic salmon had returned to the Seine. The Seine freezes when the temperature falls below 18°.
The Seine is known for its romantic sightseeing boats, called “bateaux mouches” that drift up and down the river in Paris. Dams and locks normally keep the water level consistent, particularly in the Paris region, where the Seine’s traffic is especially heavy, in part because of tourist and other recreational vessels.
There are about 37 bridges over the Seine River, some of which are truly amazing and magnificent. The oldest bridge is The Pont Neuf, which has been immortalized by artists, poets and even twentieth-century films. It was built with interruptions in the work, from 1578 to 1607. All these bridges connect the two sides of the river and the best sunset view can be seen at sunset.
The “Ile de la Cité” is one of two remaining natural islands in the Seine River within the city of Paris (the other being the Ile Saint-Louis). It is the center of Paris and the location where the medieval city was refunded.
Another famous bridge over the Seine River in Paris is the “Passerelle des Arts”. This bridge is different from other bridges built on this river, because it is made of metal and is only a pedestrian crossing. This place is one of the most popular and busiest places in Paris. Sometimes some people even bring their guitars to enjoy these magnificent places with music.
