View source for Seine

{{short description|Major river in northern France}}
{{Redirect|Seine River|other uses|Seine (disambiguation)|and|Seine River (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Seyne|Sienne (river)|Seym (river)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = Seine

| native_name       = {{nativename|fr|la Seine}}

| name_other         = 
| name_etymology     = 
| image              = Bercy, Paris 01.jpg
| image_size         = 250
| image_caption      = The Seine in [[Paris]]
| map                = Bassin Seine.png
| map_size           = 250
| map_caption        = Topographic map of the Seine [[drainage basin|basin]]
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 250
| pushpin_map_caption= 
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = [[France]]
| subdivision_type2  = 
| subdivision_name2  = 
| length             = {{convert|777|km|mi|abbr=on}} 
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= [[Le Havre]]
| discharge1_min     = 
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|560|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = 
| source1            = 
| source1_location   = [[Source-Seine]]
| source1_coordinates= 
| source1_elevation  = 
| mouth              = [[English Channel]] ({{langx|fr|la Manche}})
| mouth_location     = [[Le Havre]]/[[Honfleur]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|49|26|02|N|0|12|24|E|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}}
| progression        = 
| river_system       = Seine basin
| basin_size         = {{convert|79000|km2|abbr=on}}
| tributaries_left   = [[Yonne (river)|Yonne]], [[Loing]], [[Eure (river)|Eure]], [[Risle]]
| tributaries_right  = [[Ource]], [[Aube (river)|Aube]], [[Marne (river)|Marne]], [[Oise (river)|Oise]], [[Epte]]
| mapframe = yes | mapframe-wikidata=yes | mapframe-zoom=6 | mapframe-height=250 | mapframe-stroke-width=1.5 | mapframe-frame-width = 250
}}

The '''Seine''' ({{IPAc-en|s|eɪ|n|,_|s|ɛ|n}} {{respell|sayn|,_|sen}},<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Sein |title=Sein |dictionary=[[Lexico|Oxford Dictionaries]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> {{IPA|fr|sɛn|lang|Fr.Seine.ogg}}) is a {{convert|777|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} river in northern [[France]].<ref name=sandre>{{sandre|id=----0010|nom=La Seine}}</ref> Its [[drainage basin]] is in the [[Paris Basin]] (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France.<ref name="Fluvi1" /> It rises at [[Source-Seine]], {{convert|30|km|mi}} northwest of [[Dijon]] in northeastern France in the [[Langres]] plateau, flowing through [[Paris]] and into the [[English Channel]] at [[Le Havre]] (and [[Honfleur]] on the left bank).<ref>{{cite book |title=''A hand book up the Seine'' |publisher=G.F. Cruchley, 81, Fleet Street, 1840 |year=1840 }}</ref> It is navigable by ocean-going vessels as far as [[Rouen]], {{convert|120|km|mi}} from the sea. Over 60 percent of its length, as far as [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]], is negotiable by large barges and most tour boats, and nearly its whole length is available for recreational boating; [[Bateaux Mouches|excursion boats]] offer sightseeing tours of the river banks in the capital city, Paris.<ref name=ParisDigest>{{Cite web |url=https://www.parisdigest.com/paris/river-in-paris.htm |title=River in Paris |year=2018 |publisher=Paris Digest |access-date=2018-09-26 |archive-date=27 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927005616/https://www.parisdigest.com/paris/river-in-paris.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:2007 Paris Seine.jpg|thumb|View over the Seine in Paris, Pont des Invalides in the foreground, Eiffel tower in the background]]
There are 37 [[List of bridges in Paris#Seine|bridges in Paris]] across the Seine (the most famous of which are the [[Pont Alexandre III]] and the [[Pont Neuf]]) and dozens [[List of crossings of the River Seine|more]] outside the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of the bridges of Paris |url=https://www.cometoparis.com/secrets-and-stories-of-paris/history-of-the-bridges-of-paris-s1066 |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=Come to Paris |language=en-US}}</ref> A notable bridge, which is also the last along the course of the river, is the [[Pont de Normandie]], the [[List of longest cable-stayed bridge spans|ninth longest cable-stayed bridge]] in the world, which links [[Le Havre]] and [[Honfleur]].<ref name="Fluvi2" />

== River sources ==
[[File:Source Seine.jpg|thumb|right|The source of the Seine]]

The Seine rises in the [[Communes of France|commune]] of [[Source-Seine]], about {{convert|30|km|mi|0}} northwest of [[Dijon]]. The source has been owned by the city of Paris since 1864. A number of closely associated small ditches or depressions provide the source waters, with an artificial [[grotto]] laid out to highlight and contain a deemed main source. The grotto includes a statue of a nymph, a dog, and a dragon. On the same site are the buried remains of a [[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#fanum|Gallo-Roman temple]]. Small statues of the ''dea Sequana'' "Seine goddess" and other [[ex-voto]]s found at the same place are now exhibited in the Dijon archaeological museum.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

== Course ==
The Seine can artificially be divided into five parts:
* the ''Petite Seine'', "Small Seine" from the sources to [[Montereau-Fault-Yonne]]
* the ''Haute Seine'', "Upper Seine" from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to Paris
* the ''Traversée de Paris'', "the Paris waterway"
* the ''Basse Seine'', "Lower Seine" from Paris to Rouen
* the ''Seine maritime'', "Maritime Seine" from Rouen to the English channel.

Below Rouen, the river passes through the ''Parc Naturel Régional des Boucles de la Seine Normande'', a French [[Regional nature parks of France|regional nature park]].

==Navigation==
The Seine is dredged and ocean-going vessels can dock at [[Rouen]], {{convert|120|km|mi}} from the sea. Commercial craft (barges and push-tows) can use the river beginning at [[Marcilly-sur-Seine]], {{convert|516|km|mi}} to its mouth.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Inland Waterways of France|last=Edwards-May|first=David|publisher=Imray|year=2010|isbn=978-1-846230-14-1|location=St Ives, Cambs., UK|pages=90–94}}</ref>

At Paris, there are 37 bridges.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sciolino |first=Elaine |date=November 4, 2019 |title=Knowing Paris by Its Bridges |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/travel/paris-bridges-seine.html |access-date=October 24, 2024 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The river is only {{convert|24|m|ft}} above sea level {{convert|446|km|mi}} from its mouth, making it slow flowing and thus easily navigable.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-15 |title=Seine River {{!}} Paris, France, History & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Seine-River |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

The Seine Maritime, {{convert|123|km|mi}} from the English Channel at [[Le Havre]] to Rouen, is the only portion of the Seine used by ocean-going craft.<ref name="Fluvi2">[http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-bassin-de-la-seine-5/voie-seine-maritime-85 Fluviacarte] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925145715/http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-bassin-de-la-seine-5/voie-seine-maritime-85 |date=25 September 2018 }}, Seine maritime</ref> The tidal section of the Seine Maritime is followed by a canalized section (''Basse Seine'') with four large multiple locks until the mouth of the [[Oise (river)|Oise]] at [[Conflans-Sainte-Honorine]] ({{cvt|170|km|disp=sqbr}}). Smaller locks at [[Bougival]] and at [[Suresnes]] lift the vessels to the level of the river in Paris, where the junction with the [[Canal Saint-Martin]] is located. The distance from the mouth of the Oise is {{cvt|72|km}}.<ref>[http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-5/voie--84 Fluviacarte] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925142627/http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-5/voie--84 |date=25 September 2018 }}, Basse Seine</ref>

The ''Haute Seine'', from Paris to [[Montereau-Fault-Yonne]], is {{cvt|98|km}} long and has 8 locks.<ref>[http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-5/voie--83 Fluviacarte] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925142530/http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-5/voie--83 |date=25 September 2018 }}, Haute Seine</ref> At [[Charenton-le-Pont]] is the mouth of the [[Marne (river)|Marne]]. Upstream from Paris seven locks ensure navigation to [[Saint Mammès]], where the [[Loing]] mouth is situated. Through an eighth lock the river [[Yonne (river)|Yonne]] is reached at Montereau-Fault-Yonne. From the mouth of the Yonne, larger ships can continue upstream to [[Nogent-sur-Seine]] ({{cvt|48|km|disp=sqbr}}, 7 locks).<ref>[http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-5/voie--82 Fluviacarte] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925145711/http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-5/voie--82 |date=25 September 2018 }}, Petite Seine (aval)</ref> From there on, the river is navigable only by small craft to [[Marcilly-sur-Seine]] ({{cvt|19|km|disp=sqbr}}, 4 locks).<ref name="Fluvi1">[http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-5/voie--81 Fluviacarte] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925142411/http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-5/voie--81 |date=25 September 2018 }}, Petite Seine (amont)</ref> At Marcilly-sur-Seine the 19th century [[Canal de la Haute-Seine]] used to allow vessels to continue all the way to [[Troyes]]. This canal has been abandoned since 1957.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aube.fr/include/viewFile.php?idtf=1687&path=28%2F1687_1321867581_histoire-construction.pdf|title=La construction du canal de la Haute-Seine|access-date=25 September 2018|archive-date=25 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925142053/http://www.aube.fr/include/viewFile.php?idtf=1687&path=28%2F1687_1321867581_histoire-construction.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Seine's average depth in Paris today is approximately 9.5 meters (31 feet). Until locks were installed to raise the level in the 1800s, the river was much shallower within the city, and consisted of a small channel of continuous flow bordered by sandy banks (depicted in many illustrations of the period). Today the depth is tightly controlled and the entire width of the river between the built-up banks on either side is normally filled with water. The average flow of the river is very low, only a few cubic metres per second, but much higher flows are possible during periods of heavy runoff.

=== Dredging ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2024}}
[[Dredging]] in the 1960s mostly eliminated [[tidal bore]]s on the lower river, known in French as ''"le mascaret."''

==Dams and flood control==
Four large storage reservoirs have been built since 1950 on the Seine as well as its tributaries Yonne, Marne, and Aube. 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 [[Orient Forest Regional Natural Park|Lac d’Orient]], [[Lac des Settons]], [[Lake Der-Chantecoq]], and Auzon-Temple and Amance, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lacs-champagne.fr/en/content/creation-lake-reservoirs|title=LC|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015172513/http://www.lacs-champagne.fr/en/content/creation-lake-reservoirs|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Flooding===
A [[1910 Great Flood of Paris|very severe period of high water]] in January 1910 resulted in extensive flooding throughout the city of Paris. The Seine again rose to threatening levels in 1924, 1955, 1982, 1999–2000, June 2016, and January 2018.<ref>[http://www.grid.unep.ch/product/publication/freshwater_europe/seine.php Seine river Basin] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808200310/http://www.grid.unep.ch/product/publication/freshwater_europe/seine.php |date=8 August 2007}}, [[United Nations Environment Programme]] Department of Early Warning and Assessment (accessed 5 June 2007).</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/24/paris-flooding-alert-rising-seine-transport-disruption |title=Paris on flooding alert as rising Seine causes travel disruption |last=Willsher |first=Kim |date=24 January 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> After a first-level flood alert in 2003, about 100,000 works of art were moved out of Paris, the largest relocation of art since [[World War II]]. Much of the art in Paris is kept in underground storage rooms that would have been flooded.<ref name=nyt2003>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/19/arts/fearing-a-big-flood-paris-moves-art.html |title=Fearing a Big Flood, Paris Moves Art |first=Alan |last=Riding |newspaper=The New York Times |date=19 February 2003}}</ref>

A 2002 report by the French government stated the worst-case Seine flood scenario would cost 10 billion euros and cut telephone service for a million Parisians, leaving 200,000 without electricity and 100,000 without gas.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1782691.stm |title=Paris flood warning |first=Rory |last=Mulholland |publisher=BBC News |date=25 January 2002 }}</ref>

===2018 Paris flood===
In January 2018 the Seine again flooded, reaching a flood level of {{convert|5.84|m|ftin}} on 29 January.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Nicolas |last1=Garriga |first2=Jeffrey |last2=Schaeffer |url=https://www.deseret.com/2018/1/29/20639148/france-sees-worst-rains-in-50-years-floods-peak-in-paris/ |title=France sees worst rains in 50 years, floods peak in Paris |newspaper=[[Deseret News]] |agency=Associated Press |date=29 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130034355/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900008826/france-sees-worst-rains-in-50-years-floods-peak-in-paris.html |archive-date=30 January 2018}}</ref> An official warning was issued on 24 January that heavy rainfall was likely to cause the river to flood.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/24/paris-flooding-alert-rising-seine-transport-disruption|title=Paris on flooding alert as rising Seine causes travel disruption|last=Willsher|first=Kim|date=24 January 2018|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=2018-01-24|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124120302/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/24/paris-flooding-alert-rising-seine-transport-disruption|archive-date=24 January 2018}}</ref> By 27 January, the river was rising.<ref>{{cite news |first=Amy |last=Held |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/27/581297526/deja-vu-flooding-in-paris-as-officials-say-seine-will-crest-soon |title=Déjà Vu Flooding in Paris As Officials Say Seine Will Crest Soon |department=The Two-Way |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |date=27 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128063730/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/27/581297526/deja-vu-flooding-in-paris-as-officials-say-seine-will-crest-soon |archive-date=28 January 2018}}</ref> The Deputy Mayor of Paris [[Colombe Brossel]] warned that the heavy rain was caused by [[climate change]]. He added that "We have to understand that climatic change is not a word, it's a reality."<ref>{{cite news |first1=Saskya |last1=Vandoorne |first2=Lauren |last2=Said-Moorhouse |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/26/europe/paris-still-on-flood-alert-intl/index.html |title=Paris is still on flood alert even though the rain has stopped |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=26 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223110822/https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/26/europe/paris-still-on-flood-alert-intl/index.html |archive-date=23 February 2018}}</ref>

==Watershed==
The basin area, including a part of Belgium, is {{convert|78910|km2|mi2}},<ref name="earthtrends">{{cite web |url=http://earthtrends.wri.org/text/water-resources/map-334.html |title=World Resources Institute |publisher=Earthtrends.wri.org |date=22 February 1999 |access-date=18 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208071251/http://earthtrends.wri.org/text/water-resources/map-334.html |archive-date=8 February 2012}}</ref> 2&nbsp;percent of which is forest and 78&nbsp;percent cultivated land. In addition to Paris, three other cities with a population over 100,000 are in the Seine watershed: Le Havre at the estuary, Rouen in the Seine valley and [[Reims]] at the northern limit—with an annual urban growth rate of 0.2&nbsp;percent.<ref name="earthtrends" /> The population density is 201 per square kilometer.

===Tributaries===
Tributaries of the Seine are, from source to mouth:<ref name=sandre/>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[Ource]] (right)
*[[Barse]] (right)
*[[Aube (river)|Aube]] (right)
*[[Yonne (river)|Yonne]] (left)
*[[Loing]] (left)
*[[Almont (river)|Almont]] (right)
*[[Essonne (river)|Essonne]] (left)
*[[Orge]] (left)
*[[Yerres (river)|Yerres]] (right)
*[[Marne (river)|Marne]] (right)
*[[Bièvre (river)|Bièvre]] (left)
*[[Oise (river)|Oise]] (right)
*[[Aubette de Meulan]] (right)
*[[Mauldre]] (left)
*[[Vaucouleurs (river)|Vaucouleurs]] (left)
*[[Epte]] (right)
*[[Andelle]] (right)
*[[Eure (river)|Eure]] (left)
*[[Oison (river)|Oison]] (left)
*[[Aubette (Seine-Maritime)|Aubette]] (right)
*[[Cailly (river)|Cailly]] (right)
*[[Austreberthe]] (right)
*[[Commerce (river)|Commerce]] (right)
*[[Risle]] (left)
*[[Lézarde (Seine)|Lézarde]] (right)
{{div col end}}

==Water quality==
Due to concentrated levels of industry, agriculture and urban populations of Paris and its surroundings, the Seine-Normandy watershed experiences the highest human impacts of any hydrographic basin in France. Compared to most other large European rivers, the ability of the Seine to dilute urban sewage and farmland runoff is very low. Low oxygen levels, high concentrations of ammonia, nitrites and faecal bacteria, extending from Paris to the estuary, have been issues for over a century. The advent of nitrogenous fertilizers in the 1960s marked an upturn in agricultural pollution due to land use changes that had previously scaled with population growth. Heavy industries near Paris and along the Oise River discharged virtually untreated wastewaters from the turn of the 19th century, causing concentrations of toxins in the river that were ignored until the late 1980s. Major French laws to address water quality were passed in 1898, 1964, 1996, and 2006.<ref name="Flipo Lestel Labadie Meybeck 2020">{{cite book | last1=Flipo | first1=Nicolas | last2=Lestel | first2=Laurence | last3=Labadie | first3=Pierre | last4=Meybeck | first4=Michel | last5=Garnier | first5=Josette | title=The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry | chapter=Trajectories of the Seine River Basin | publisher=Springer International Publishing | publication-place=Cham | year=2020 | isbn=978-3-030-54259-7 | issn=1867-979X | doi=10.1007/698_2019_437 | pages=1–28}}</ref>

At the beginning of the 20th century, most domestic sewage was [[reuse of excreta|used as fertilizer]] for nearby croplands. As populations grew, the agricultural capacity to absorb those wastewaters was exceeded. Large-scale construction of waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) began in 1940 to meet demand; however, by 1970, about 60% of urban sewage was allowed to flow into the river untreated. The resulting oxygen depletion reduced the number of fish species to three. Measures taken in the early 2000s due to the [[Water Framework Directive]] led to significant reductions of organic carbon, phosphorus and ammonium, which in turn decreased the occurrence and severity of phytoplankton blooms. Continued WWTP construction and new treatment methods improved environmental conditions.<ref name="Garnier Marescaux Guillon Vilmin 2020">{{cite book | last1=Garnier | first1=J. | last2=Marescaux | first2=A. | last3=Guillon | first3=S. | last4=Vilmin | first4=L. | last5=Rocher | first5=V. | last6=Billen | first6=G. | last7=Thieu | first7=V. | last8=Silvestre | first8=M. | last9=Passy | first9=P. | last10=Raimonet | first10=M. | last11=Groleau | first11=A. | last12=Théry | first12=S. | last13=Tallec | first13=G. | last14=Flipo | first14=N. | title=The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry | chapter=Ecological Functioning of the Seine River: From Long-Term Modelling Approaches to High-Frequency Data Analysis | publisher=Springer International Publishing | publication-place=Cham | year=2020 | isbn=978-3-030-54259-7 | issn=1867-979X | doi=10.1007/698_2019_379 | pages=189–216}}</ref> In 2009, it was announced that [[Atlantic salmon]] had returned to the Seine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/116/article_4724.asp |title=Radio France Internationale – Atlantic salmon return to river Seine |publisher=Rfi.fr |access-date=18 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217143719/http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/116/article_4724.asp |archive-date=17 February 2011}}</ref> By the early 2020s, the number of fish species near Paris had rebounded to 32.<ref name="Garnier Marescaux Guillon Vilmin 2020" />

Periodically the [[Paris sewers|sewage systems of Paris]] experience a failure known as [[sanitary sewer overflow]], often in periods of high rainfall. Under these conditions, untreated residential and industrial [[sewage]] is discharged into the Seine to prevent [[backflow]]. This is due in large part to Paris' "single system" drainage scheme dating from the 19th century, which combines street runoff and sewage.<ref>Martin Seidl, ''The fate of [[Organic material|organic]] matter in river Seine after a combined sewer overflow'', ENPC – University Paris Val de Marne Paris XII (France), 1997, 181 pp.</ref><ref name="Schofield 2023 f780">{{cite web | last=Schofield | first=Hugh | title=Paris to bring back swimming in Seine after 100 years | website=BBC News | date=25 July 2023 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66238618 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727081452/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66238618 | archive-date=27 July 2023 | url-status=live | access-date=27 July 2023}}</ref> The resulting [[oxygen]] deficit is principally caused by [[allochthonous]] bacteria larger than one micrometre in size. The specific activity of these sewage bacteria is typically three to four times greater than that of the autochthonous (background) bacterial population. Heavy metal concentrations in the Seine are relatively high.<ref>J.F.Chiffoleau. 2007. ''Metal contamination. the Seine-Aval scientific programme''. Quae. 40 pages</ref> The pH level of the Seine at Pont Neuf has been measured to be 8.46. Despite this, the water quality has improved significantly over what several historians at various times in the past called an "open sewer".<ref>{{cite book |last=Hogan |first=C. Michael |title=Water quality of fresh water bodies in France |publisher=Luminna Press |location=Aberdeen |year=2006}}</ref>

In 2018, a €1.4 billion ($1.55 billion) cleanup programme called the "Swimming Plan" was launched with the aim of making the river safe to use for the [[2024 Summer Olympics]]. The project included constructing a basin to store rainwater, which would then be slowly released into the sewer system, preventing overflow. Plans also call for several public swimming areas to be made available by 2025, ending a ban instituted in 1923 due to the polluted water.<ref name="Jack Guy 2023 g211">{{cite web | first1=Jack |last1=Guy | first2=Dalal |last2=Mawad |first3=Oliver |last3=Briscoe | title=Paris to bring back swimming in River Seine after 100 years | website=[[CNN]] | date=26 July 2023 | url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/26/sport/paris-seine-river-swimming-spt-scli-intl/index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727040222/https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/26/sport/paris-seine-river-swimming-spt-scli-intl/index.html | archive-date=27 July 2023 | url-status=live | access-date=27 July 2023}}</ref> These efforts have produced mixed results, as ''[[Escherichia coli|E. coli]]'' levels have often been found to be far higher than what is safe to swim in, though this could depend on the season.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hartley |first=Noemie Bisserbe and Eve |title=Herculean Feat in Paris Olympics: Make the Seine Safe to Swim |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/olympics-paris-swimming-seine-sewage-944b33fa |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Guy" /> At the same time, the fish population in the river has surged, from just two species to over 30.<ref name="Guy">{{Cite web |last1=Guy |first1=Jack |last2=Mawad |first2=Dalal |last3=Briscoe |first3=Oliver |date=2023-07-26 |title=Paris to bring back swimming in River Seine after 100 years |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/26/sport/paris-seine-river-swimming-spt-scli-intl/index.html |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>  To demonstrate the river's improved cleanliness, Mayor [[Anne Hidalgo]] and President [[Emmanuel Macron]] both pledged to take a swim in the waters,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bush |first=Evan |date=2024-06-21 |title=Levels of contamination in the Seine remain unsafe for Paris Olympians, report says |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/paris-olympics-river-seine-contamination-still-unsafe-rcna158381 |access-date=2024-06-23 |work=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> and Hidalgo did so on July 17, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nouvian |first=Tom |date=2024-07-17 |title=Paris mayor dips into the Seine River to showcase its improved cleanliness before Olympic events |url=https://apnews.com/article/paris-olympics-river-seine-swim-clean-pollution-b1e7330d778babc070bc7348a8c998f3 |access-date=2024-08-18 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

During the Summer Olympics, the date of the triathlon was postponed due to water quality issues,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thenationaldesk.com/news/from-the-desk/paris-olympics-postpone-mens-triathlon-due-to-poor-seine-river-water-quality-swimming-polluted-waterway-cleanup-effort-e-coli-bacteria-marathon-medical-team-mayor-anne-hidalgo|title=Paris Olympics postpone men's triathlon due to poor Seine River water quality|first1=Pat|last1=Graham|first2=Kate|last2=Brumback|date=2024-07-30|work=The National Desk|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> as the earlier rainstorm during the opening ceremony had driven some untreated rainwater back into the Seine.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Massy-Beresford |first=Helen |title=No, the Seine Cleanup Wasn't a Failure |url=https://www.wired.com/story/no-the-seine-cleanup-wasnt-a-failure/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> However, the triathlon proceeded the following day, after testing found the water quality to be sufficient for swimming.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240731-paris-olympics-triathlon-seine | title=Women's triathlon begins at Paris Games after tests confirm Seine water quality | date=31 July 2024 }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Chatillon-sur-Seine - Musée du Pays chatillonnais - Cratère de Vix - 012 (cropped).jpg|thumb|200px|The gigantic [[Cratère de Vix]] - at 1.64 meters high, the largest bronze vessel of all antiquity, {{circa|500 BC}}]]
[[File:Paris expo 1937 Seine.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Seine in Paris during the [[Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne|World Expo in 1937]]]]
[[File:Seine by Eiffel.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Seine and Eiffel Tower]]

The name {{lang|fr|Seine}} comes from Gaullish {{lang|la|[[Sequana|Sēquana]]}}, from the Celtic [[Gallo-Roman religion|Gallo-Roman]] goddess of the river, as offerings for her were found at the source. Sometimes it is incorrectly associated with Latin {{lang|la|sequor}} 'follow', but the Celtic word rather seems to derive from the same root as English ''sea'', namely [[Proto-Indo-European]] ''*seik<sup>w</sup>-'', signifying 'to flow' or 'to pour forth'.<ref>Julius Pokorny, ''Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch'' (Francke, 1959), word 1664 https://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/natlang/ie/pokorny.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806212825/https://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/natlang/ie/pokorny.html |date=6 August 2020 }}</ref>

On 28 or 29 March 845, an army of [[Vikings]] led by a chieftain named Reginherus, which is possibly another name for [[Ragnar Lothbrok]], sailed up the River Seine with siege towers and [[Siege of Paris (845)|sacked Paris]].

On 25 November 885, another Viking expedition led by [[Rollo]] was sent up the River Seine to [[Siege of Paris (885-886)|attack Paris again]].

In March 1314, King [[Philip IV of France]] had [[Jacques de Molay]], last [[Grand Masters of the Knights Templar|Grand Master]] of the [[Knights Templar]], [[Execution by burning|burned on a scaffold]] on an [[Île aux Juifs|island]] in the River Seine in front of [[Notre Dame de Paris]].<ref name="Middle Ages Vol 1888, p. 325">A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages Vol. III by Henry Charles Lea, NY: Hamper & Bros, Franklin Sq. 1888, p. 325. Not in copyright.</ref>

Following the [[execution by burning|burning]] of [[Joan of Arc]] in 1431, her ashes were thrown into the Seine from the medieval stone Mathilde Bridge at [[Rouen]], though unsupported counter-claims persist.<ref>In February 2006 a team of forensic scientists announced the beginning of a six-month study to assess relics from a museum at [[Chinon]] reputed to be the remains of Jeanne d'Arc. In 2007, the investigators reported their conclusion that the relics from Chinon came from an Egyptian mummy and a cat, see {{cite journal |last=Butler |first=Declan |year=2007 |title=Joan of Arc's relics exposed as forgery |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=446 |issue=7136 |pages=593 |doi=10.1038/446593a |pmid=17410145|bibcode=2007Natur.446..593B |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[File:Fulton Plaque.jpg|thumb|right|Plaque commemorating Robert Fulton's first successful trial of the steamboat in the Seine]]
On 9 August 1803 [[Robert Fulton]], American painter and marine engineer, made his first successful test of his [[steamboat]] in the Seine beside the [[Tuileries Garden]]. Having a length of sixty-six feet and an eight-foot beam Fulton's steamboat attained speeds of three to four miles per hour against the Seine's current.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dickinson |first=Henry Winram |author-link=Henry Winram Dickinson|title=Robert Fulton, Engineer and Artist: His Life and Works |publisher=John Lane Company |year=1913 |location=London |pages=157–158 |language=en}}</ref>

Reaching the Seine was one of the original objectives of [[Operation Overlord]], during the [[Second World War]], in 1944. The Allies' intention was to reach the Seine by 90 days after [[D-Day]]. That objective was met. An anticipated assault crossing of the river never materialized as German resistance in France crumbled by early September 1944. However, the [[First Canadian Army]] did encounter resistance immediately west of the Seine and fighting occurred in the Forêt de la Londe as Allied [[troops]] attempted to cut off the escape across the river of parts of the German 7th Army in the closing phases of the Battle of Normandy.

Some of the Algerian victims of the [[Paris massacre of 1961]] drowned in the Seine after being thrown by French policemen from the [[Pont Saint-Michel]] and other locations in Paris.

== At the Olympics ==
===1900 and 1924 Summer Olympics ===
At the [[1900 Summer Olympics]], the river hosted the [[Rowing at the 1900 Summer Olympics|rowing]], [[Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics|swimming]], and [[Water polo at the 1900 Summer Olympics|water polo]] events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1900/1900.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528012428/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1900/1900.pdf |archive-date=28 May 2008 |pages= 17–18 |lang=fr |title=Official Report of the 1900 Olympic Games |date=1901 |via=LA84 Foundation }}</ref> [[1924 Summer Olympics|Twenty-four years later]], it hosted the [[Rowing at the 1924 Summer Olympics|rowing]] events again at Bassin d'Argenteuil, along the Seine north of Paris.<ref>{{cite web |url-status=live |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1924/1924.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410085129/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1924/1924.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2008 |pages=165–6 |title=Official Report of the 1924 Olympic Games and Official Report of the 1924 Olympic Winter Games |date=1925 |via=LA84 Foundation }}</ref>

=== 2024 Summer Olympics ===
{{See also|Concerns and controversies at the 2024 Summer Olympics#Water pollution of the Seine and uncertain role in the wider Games}}
More than a century later, during the [[2024 Summer Olympics]], the Seine hosted a boat parade with boats for each national delegation during the [[Olympic games opening ceremony|opening ceremony]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Opening Ceremony |url=https://www.paris2024.org/en/ceremony/ |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=Paris 2024 |language=en}}</ref>  

The river was also the site of the men's and women's event for [[Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon 10 kilometre|marathon swimming]], as well as the swimming portion of the [[Triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics|triathlon]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Olympic Marathon Swimming Schedule & Results |url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/marathon-swimming |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=Olympics Paris 2024 |language=en}}</ref> Although swimming in the Seine had been banned since 1923, a €1.4 billion cleanup effort by the French government sought to reduce bacterial levels in the river to those safe for swimming.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-07-23/how-paris-cleaned-up-the-seine-ahead-of-2024-olympics-and-where-to-swim |first1=Feargus |last1=O'Sullivan | title=Paris Spent €1.4 Billion to Clean up the Seine. Has It Worked? | newspaper=Bloomberg | date=23 July 2024 }}</ref> During the Olympics, daily tests of the water quality were taken to determine if it was safe for swimming; this caused the triathlon to be delayed by a day, before being allowed to proceed on July 31.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-triathlon-paris-seine-water-quality-358b29063ac00253c072290281043eaa |first1=Kate |last1=Brumback |first2=Pat |last2=Graham | title=Olympic triathletes swim in Seine River after days of concerns about water quality | website=[[Associated Press News]] | date=31 July 2024 }}</ref> A few of the triathletes who swam in the river became sick afterwards,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Olympic triathletes fall ill after River Seine swims. What we know so far - National {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10683691/paris-seine-triathletes-illness-olympics/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref> though it was not clear if the Seine water was the cause.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kate |first=Brumback |last2=Newberry |first2=Paul |date=August 7, 2024 |title=Olympic triathlete who fell ill after swim in Seine says virus made her sick, not E. coli |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/olympic-triathletes-seine-illness-1.7287276#:~:text=A%20Belgian%20triathlete%20who%20fell,the%20water%20was%20to%20blame |access-date=September 18, 2024 |work=[[Cbc.ca]] |publication-place=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>



== World Heritage Sites ==
In 1991 (and 2024), [[UNESCO]] added the banks of the Seine in Paris—the ''Rive Gauche'' and ''Rive Droite''—to its [[list of World Heritage Sites in Europe]].<ref>
[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/600 Paris, Banks of the Seine] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321014146/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/600 |date=21 March 2018}}, the [[World Heritage Site]] entry from the UNESCO website</ref>
[[File:Paris rives de la Seine 2024.svg|thumb|Boundaries of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Paris, Banks of the Seine" since 2024]]

== In art ==
During the 19th and the 20th centuries in particular the Seine inspired many artists, including:
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* [[Eugène Boudin]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot|Camille Corot]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Charles-François Daubigny]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Guy Debord]]
* [[Raoul Dufy]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Othon Friesz]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Carl Fredrik Hill]]
* [[Eugène Isabey]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Johan Jongkind]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* {{ill|Raimond Lecourt|fr}} <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Albert Marquet]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Henri Matisse]]
* [[Claude Monet]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Luis F. Pinzón]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Camille Pissarro]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Emilio Grau Sala]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Gaston Sébire]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Georges Seurat]]
* [[Alfred Sisley]]
* [[Constant Troyon]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[J. M. W. Turner]]
* [[Félix Vallotton]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Édouard Vuillard]] <!-- {{List fact|date=March 2012}} -->
* [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir]]
{{div col end}}
A song "La Seine" by Flavien Monod and Guy Lafarge was written in 1948.

[[Josephine Baker]] also recorded a song called "La Seine"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjlf18fq2do|title=La Seine|author=((Avenger88))|date=26 January 2013|access-date=6 May 2018|via=YouTube|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506152338/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjlf18fq2do|archive-date=6 May 2018}}</ref>

Another song titled "La Seine", by [[Vanessa Paradis]] featuring [[Matthieu Chedid]], formed part of the original soundtrack for the 2011 film ''[[A Monster in Paris]]''.

The Seine features prominently in [[ABBA]]'s 1980 song "[[Our Last Summer]]", written by [[Benny Andersson]] and [[Björn Ulvaeus]].

<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
File:A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat, 1884.png|Georges Seurat's ''[[A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte]]'' (1884–1886) is set on an island in the Seine.
File:French River Landscape, Bois-le-Roi (Carl Fredrik Hill) - Gothenburg Museum of Art - GKM 0522.tif|Carl Fredrik Hill, ''French River Landscape, Bois-le-Roi'' (1877)
File:Alfred Sisley - The Terrace at Saint-Germain, Spring - Google Art Project.jpg|Alfred Sisley, ''The Terrace at Saint-Germain, Spring'' (1875) in the [[Walters Art Museum]] gives a panoramic view of the Seine river valley.
File:TKM 1082M, Pesumajad Seine'il, Andrus Johani.jpg|''Washhouses on Seine'' (1937) by [[Andrus Johani]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of crossings of the Seine]]
* [[EPTB Seine Grands Lacs]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{1900 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{1924 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{2024 Summer Olympic Venues}}
{{Summer Olympic stadia}}
{{Olympic venues rowing}}
{{Olympic venues swimming}}
{{Olympic venues water polo}}
{{Olympic venues triathlon}}
{{Rivers of France}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Venues of the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Venues of the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Venues of the 2024 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic stadiums]]
[[Category:Olympic rowing venues]]
[[Category:Olympic swimming venues]]
[[Category:Olympic water polo venues]]
[[Category:Olympic triathlon venues]]
[[Category:River Seine| ]]
[[Category:Rivers of France]]
[[Category:Seine basin| ]]
[[Category:Rivers of Aube]]
[[Category:Rivers of Côte-d'Or]]
[[Category:Rivers of Eure]]
[[Category:Rivers of Hauts-de-Seine]]
[[Category:Rivers of Paris]]
[[Category:Water transport in France]]
[[Category:Rivers of Seine-et-Marne]]
[[Category:Rivers of Seine-Maritime]]
[[Category:Rivers of Val-de-Marne]]
[[Category:Rivers of Yvelines]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in France]]
[[Category:Rivers of Île-de-France]]
[[Category:Rivers of Normandy]]