Parisian celebrate historical leap into his for a hundred years

Parisian celebrate historical leap into his for a hundred years

For the first time in over a century, both Parisian and tourists have the opportunity to dip into the its . The long -dirty river now opens up as a refreshing swimming location in summer, thanks to an extensive clean -up project of 1.4 billion euros ($ 1.5 billion), which made it suitable for the Olympic Games last year.

new swimming locations in Paris

On Saturday, three new swimming points on the Paris bank will be opened-one near the Kathedral Notre-Dame the Eiffel Tower and a third in the east of Paris. Swimming in the Seine was due to the pollution and the dangers of the shipping since 1923 illegally . Swimming outside of the bathing beaches remains prohibited for safety reasons.

The Seine as part of the 2024 Olympic Games

The Seine will be a central component during the 2024 Olympic Games, be it in the spectacular opening ceremony or in competitions in triathlon and marathon swimming. Challenges such as increased bacterial content due to rainfall are among the difficulties that delayed some competitions.

water quality guarantees security

The city administration gave the public swimming operation green light because the water quality consistently corresponds to the European regulations. "It is a symbolic moment when we get our river back," said Sportcoach and Influencer Lucile Woodward, who will take part in the first amateur swimming competition on Sunday. Woodward, who took a bathroom with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo shortly before the Olympic Games, is confident: "We will enjoy swimming and put an example," she added. "As soon as people see that hundreds of people have fun and enjoy, everyone will want to swim!"

Family -friendly experience on the river

"It is exceptional for families to go into the water with the children and splash around in Paris," added Woodward.

The price for cleaning up pays off

The participation of Olympic athletes in the river is a spectacular reward for the high costs of cleaning up. In the run -up to the games, the authorities opened new disinfection units and created a large storage volume to prevent heavily contaminated wastewater from getting directly into the SEIN when rain. Houseboats that previously emptied their wastewater directly into the river had to join the urban wastewater system.

daily water tests

The deputy mayor of Paris, Pierre Rabadan, explained that the water is being tested daily to confirm the security for swimming. As on French beaches, colored flags will inform visitors whether swimming is safe. "Green means that the water quality is good. Red indicates that it is not good or the current is too strong," he said.

concerns about water quality

Despite the official water monitoring, there is skepticism about water quality. Dan Angelescu, founder and CEO of Fluidion, a company for monitoring water quality, has tested bacterial values ​​in the river independently over the years. "What we see is that the water quality in the Seine varies greatly," said Angelescu. "There are only a few days in the swimming season, which I would describe as acceptable for swimming."

a dream comes true

The swimming spaces are available free of charge for everyone from a minimum age of 10 or 14 years at a time, depending on the location. The first swimmers will keep an eye on the lifeguards. "It is an opportunity to make a dream come true," said Clea Montanari, project manager in Paris. "It would be a dream if it could be drinked - that would be the ultimate goal. But swimming in it is already really nice."