23 Amazing Seine River Facts You Probably Didn't Know About!

The Seine River is a 485 mi (780 km) long river in France that flows into the English Channel between Le Havre and Honfleur.

Known as the second-longest river in France, the Seine River passes through important cities in the country like Paris, Rouen, and Troyes. The drainage basin of the Seine River has a surface of 48,871 mi (78,650 km).

The Loire is the longest river in France, and the Seine River comes second. The river begins 18 mi (29 km) northwest of the city of Dijon and flows through Paris in a northwesterly direction.

The Seine River then flows into the English Channel at Le Havre.

The 485 mi (780 km) river is one of the great historic rivers of Europe, and the drainage network of this river carries most of the inland waterway traffic of France.

Île-de-France is where the fertile center of the Seine River basin lies, and this made the place the cradle of the French monarchy. This also made it the center point of expansion of the nation-state, and it is still in the same heartland.

Impressionism in France has been hugely popular and influential, and the River Seine has been the subject of many famous impressionist paintings all over the world. Some of these paintings are Monet’s Bathers at La Grenouillère and Renoir’s Seine River at Asnieres.

Half of the water in Paris is still supplied by the Seine River, so you can get to know how important the River Seine is for the sustainability of the region. Every summer in Paris, the roads on the bank of the Seine River are closed, and the roadways are covered in palm and sand trees.

People transform the area into Paris Beaches or Paris Plages.

At the Seine River of Rouen, the ashes of Joan of Arc were scattered.

The Seine is not just a water body that flows through Paris. The Seine is also home to many bridges and is famous throughout the world. Both for economic and fun-filled purposes, the river is very important.

Did you know that the Vikings pillaged the Upper Seine, destroyed much of the city of Rouen, and used the river to attack Paris? During the ninth century, they laid siege to the city of Paris but could not succeed.

This was a testament to the resilience of the French rulers and how they stopped every attack from the city of Paris.

Fun Facts About The Seine River

The Seine River has been an important part of French history and culture, and it still proves to be a force in present-day Paris and France.

• Paris is well known for its drainage system, so it is hard to fathom people in Paris, or Parisians, moving through the city using boats and walkways. However, the Seine rose to a height of 28.2 ft (nine m) during the 1910 flood, almost to the height of Pont d'Austerlitz. The city of Paris went into lockdown.
• The Parisian landmark of the Zouave statue on the Pont d'Alma is used to determine the water level. The water of the Seine came to the shoulder of the statue during the flood. Several old buildings in the Paris region today have the markings to show how high the water actually rose during the flood.
• The people of Paris swam in the river during heat waves. There were several swimming competitions like The Crossing of Paris, and some people even swam naked in the river before 1923. There were even boats installed to take hot baths.
• The Seine now serves as a commercial waterway in the Paris region and the rest of France. A village named Source-Seine is the source of the river. The village is located in a remote location at the height of 1,545 ft (470 m) above sea level. The river then follows a northwesterly pattern through Paris and is connected to the River Rhine by the River Marne. The Seine Estuary is the mouth of the river, and it is located between Honfleur and Le Havre on the English Channel.
• The River Seine was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. So, it is not just Parisians that believe in the serenity of the river and all its tributaries.
• The river freezes when the temperature drops below 18 F (-7.7 C).
• This long river in northern France rises at Source-Seine, which is around 19 mi (31 km) northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau.
• Pont Neuf, Pont Des Arts, and Pont Louis-Philippe are the main bridges in the city of Paris, and there are many other bridges outside of the city.
• Many of the world's greatest artists have taken inspiration from the river for their paintings. These artists include Raoul Dufy, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, and Alfred Sisley, among many more.
• Paris sees the river flowing through high embankments. As the river has a meandering course, it is often confusing at first to determine the sides of the banks. If you stand by the edge looking down at the river, the bank towards your left is the Left Bank, while the bank towards the right is the Right Bank.

Keep on reading about the next topic to learn more.

Geographical Facts About The Seine River

The name of the river, Seine, was actually derived from a Latin word: sēquana. It is also thought to be related to a Gaelic name.

• The drainage basin area of the Seine River has a total area of around 30,000 sq mi (77,699.64 sq km). Around 3% of the basin area, there is forest, and around 78% is cultivated land.
• The average depth of the Seine River is around 31 ft (9.4 m), and the width of the river varies from 98-656 ft (30 m- 199.94 m).
• The water flow of the river is quite slow, with it traveling at just a few cubic feet per second. However, this is good for people in boats, as low average water flow makes the river easier to navigate.
• There are 37 bridges above the river within Paris itself. Among these 37, the Pont Neuf is the oldest standing bridge found in the city.
• As the river flows through the middle of the city of Paris, it divides the city into two parts: Rive Gauche or the Left Bank and Rive Droite or the Right Bank. Île de la Citéis one of the natural islands in the river, and the other one is Île Saint-Louis.
• The former island is located in the center of Paris and the area where the medieval city was refounded. From the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre and the Grand and Petit Palais to the Place de la Concorde, the history and evolution of the city of Paris can be seen from the Seine. You can also see the Cathedral of Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, and many other architectural masterpieces from the river.
• The Seine River is known to be linked to the waterways of Belgium.
• The main tributaries of the Seine River are the Aube, the Marne, the Oise, and the Eure.

The Seine River's Significance

The river has been quite significant for travel and the transportation of goods for many centuries, and it is still significant.

• The water from the river is used by many power stations in the nearby areas to cool their machines.
• The water quality of the Seine River has always been very poor in the past, but recently, the quality of the water has improved, and many unseen aquatic animals are being seen.
• The Pont de Normandie is an important structure atop the river as it links Le Havre to Honfleur. It is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world. The total length of this bridge is 7,032 ft (2,143 m) to 2,808 ft (856 m) between both the piers. The Pont Neuf, which we already discussed, is another architectural marvel as it is the oldest standing bridge across the Seine River.
• The water from the Seine is extensively used for irrigation purposes, and most places in Paris use the water of the river for drinking. In fact, 50% of the drinking water in Paris comes from the Seine River.
• You can join a Seine River cruise and embark on a journey for some art and history lessons. Travelers can experience architectural brilliance on their journey through the waters with the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Claude Monet's gardens at Giverny, Notre Dame cathedral, and Normandy's famous landing beaches right in front of their eyes.

What animals live in the Seine River?

For many years, there have been sightings of many fish species and other aquatic mammals in and around the Seine River.

• Some species that have been seen in the region are bigmouth buffalo, black crappie, black bullhead, blacknose dace, blackside darter, brown bullhead, brook stickleback, burbot, carp, channel catfish, central mudminnow, common shiner, fathead minnow, emerald shiner, freshwater drum, golden redhorse, goldfish, goldeye, Johnny darter, northern pike, longnose dace, pearl dace, rock bass, sauger, spottail shiner, and many other.
• Atlantic salmon has recently returned to the river as the water quality of the Seine River has become better in recent years.