Paris and the River Seine

The intertwined histories of Paris and of the River Seine are interesting but complicated. It is the Seine, however with all its ports, bridges, boats, commerce, monuments, and vistas, that has always been the keystone in the arch of Paris life, both in the past and now in the present. The great French medievalist Jean Favier (1932-2014) summed up its story in just six words: “Paris is born of the Seine.”

Paris may be known today as “The City of Light” but, like most big cities, it also has a sordid side. This book introduces to the reader not only the rich and the famous of Paris, but also some of “the unknown people of the Seine.” These latter include traders, police officers, millers, fishermen, charlatans, monkey handlers, jugglers, water carriers, and the homeless men searching through the cold mud of the Seine trying to find a small gold ornament of some kind lost by a rich traveler passing by in a boat.

Hunt Janin is an American writer living in southwestern France. He has written numerous nonfiction and scholarly books on a range of subjects, including medieval history and cross-cultural studies.

Following a career in corporate finance, Nicole Sheehan has dedicated herself to helping educational and environmental nonprofit organizations pursue national and international causes. She lives in Jackson, Wyoming.

Hunt Janin and Nicole Sheehan
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 233
Bibliographic Info: 12 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9037-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5278-8
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction: Setting the Stage 5
1. Welcome to the Seine 13
2. From the Beginnings of Paris 25
3. Viking Raids in France 41
4. Money Changes Hands 46
5. The Seine in the Hundred Years War 53
6. A World Heritage Cultural Site and the Bridges (Ponts) Over the Seine in Paris 63
7. Île ­Saint-Louis 83
8. The Glory of ­Notre-Dame de Paris 86
9. The ­Sainte-Chapelle 94
10. Pont Neuf 96
11. The Louvre 100
12. The Musée d’Orsay 106
13. The Place de la Concorde and Louis XVI 108
14. The Petit Palais 111
15. The Grand Palais 113
16. The Eiffel Tower 114
17. Bateau Mouche Excursion Boats 117
18. Illustrations and Descriptions of the River Seine 120
19. The Latin Quarter and Peter Abelard 123
20. The Riverbanks (Berges) of the Seine in Paris 126
21. The Brigade Fluviale (River Police) of Paris 135
22. The Bloody Seine 138
23. The Unknown Woman of the Seine 140
24. The “Thirty Glorious Years” 142
25. Paris and the ­Man-Made Evolution of the Seine Basin 144
26. The Old Ports of Paris 150
27. Haropa Port: The Combined Ports of Le Havre, Rouen, and Paris 156
28. The Likely Future of the Seine 164
29. The Seine and the English Channel 168
30. Suburban Villages Along the Seine 171
31. New Crews for European River Transport 173
Conclusions: The Jewel in the Crown 176
A Chronology 181
Appendix 1: The Seine and Architecture in Paris 187
Appendix 2: The Mona Lisa 191
Appendix 3: The ­Paris-Area Canals 193
Appendix 4: Tug Boats on the Seine 196
Appendix 5: Shipping Along the Seine in Paris 197
Appendix 6: The Tidal Wave of the Seine 202
Appendix 7: Medieval Transport of Wine and Grain by River 203
Appendix 8: The First Iron Steamship to Reach Paris 205
Appendix 9: The Inland Waterways Museum on the Seine 207
Appendix 10: Mercenaries Along the Seine 208
Chapter Notes 211
Bibliography 219
Index 223