Paris residents and visitors will be able to swim in the Seine again from 2025 for the first time in over 100 years. Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced Sunday that three swimmers’ spots will be established by then. One of them will be near the Eiffel Tower.
Many Parisians have long cherished the desire to once again be able to take a splash in their beloved river. Swimming in the Seine was officially banned in 1923, but it was still practiced until the early 1960s. The main problem was the quality of the river’s water.
With the Olympic Games settling into the French capital next year, morale has matured and things are gaining momentum. According to city authorities, €1.4 billion has now been invested in the greater Paris region to clean the waters of the Seine again. Some games at the Olympic Games will also be settled in the river.
By this summer, 23,000 homes will be connected to the sewerage network, which previously discharged untreated sewage into the Seine. 260 floating homes will also be connected to the sewage system. Wastewater treatment plants are being modernized or rebuilt.
Swimming areas will be marked by buoys and can be accessed via a footbridge. There will also be a place to change or take a shower.
An outdoor swimming pool has been set up in a side arm of the Seine for several years.
Read also. a report. Swimming is prohibited, but “wild swimmers” do it anyway: “Belgium is one of the strictest countries in Europe when it comes to outdoor swimming” (+)
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