Seine

The name of the Seine River comes from the name of the Celtic-Gallo-Roman river goddess Sequana, and also from the Proto-Indo-European root *seikw-, which means 'to flow', 'to pour out', as well as 'sacred'. The river has played a significant role in the history of France, witnessing Viking invasions, the execution of the last Grand Master of the Templars, the storming of the Bastille, and the ashes of the burned Joan of Arc. The Seine was the site of the first successful steamboat trial by Robert Fulton, and several events during the 1900 and 1924 Olympic Games took place here. On the banks of the Seine, one of the largest military operations during World War II unfolded - the Normandy operation, which lasted two and a half months and ended with a decisive victory for the Allies. The banks of the Seine are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The summer event Paris-Plages transforms the riverbanks into a beach every year. Despite its beauty and significance, tragedies have occurred on the Seine, such as the drowning of Algerian victims during the Paris Massacre of 1961 and the discovery of bodies, including that of French model Katoucha Niane in 2008. Today, the river is preparing to host a boat parade for each national delegation during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The Seine is conventionally divided into five parts (from the source downstream):

• The Petite Seine, from its source to Montereau-Fault-Yonne (where it merges with the Yonne);
• The Upper Seine, from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to Paris;
• The Parisian Seine;
• The Lower Seine, from Paris to Rouen;
• The Seine River Maritime, from Rouen to the English Channel.

The Seine is navigable over a significant part of its course.

Considering the relatively calm nature of the Seine's current, it is one of the most convenient rivers in Europe for navigation. Navigation on the Seine has been possible for the last more than 500 kilometers.

The Seine is the most famous river in France, largely due to the fact that the French capital, Paris, is located on its banks, within which there are 37 bridges crossing the Seine. Notable examples of these bridges include the Pont Louis-Philippe and the Pont Neuf (built in 1607). Additionally, about 30% of France's population currently lives within the Seine's watershed. This area has the highest population density in the country.

Throughout its history, Paris has experienced several severe floods, with particularly devastating ones occurring in January 1910, 1924, 1955, 1982, and 1999–2000, as well as in June 2016 and January 2018. Although four large storage reservoirs have been built on the Seine and its tributaries since 1950 to help maintain a constant river level, they cannot prevent significant increases during periods of extreme runoff. Due to the flood threat in 2003, about 100,000 works of art were moved from the underground storages of Parisian museums. The French government estimated that the worst-case flood scenario for the Seine would cost 10 billion euros and result in the loss of phone service for a million Parisians, as well as power and gas outages. The next major flood occurred in January 2018. On January 29, the river reached a flood level of 5.84 meters. Several hundred people were evacuated, the Louvre's underground galleries were closed, the famous Bateaux Mouches tourist boats were not in operation, and there were problems with electricity supply.

The Seine has inspired a vast number of artists, writers, musicians, and features in a multitude of artworks. Many paintings depicting the Seine are housed in world museums and private collections.

Javert, the primary antagonist in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables, drowned himself in the Seine river, a scene that was also depicted in the musical adaptation. Similarly, in Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, the angry mob pushed the main antagonist, Erik the Phantom, into the Seine, leading to his demise.

In Ludwig Bemelmans' children's book Madeline's Rescue, as well as its 1998 live-action adaptation, the titular character Madeline accidentally falls into the Seine after standing on the bridge ledge. However, in the book, she falls over while playing on the ledge, while in the film, she falls over while trying to defend her actions towards Pepito that caused trouble for the other girls.

In the 2016 movie La La Land, the female protagonist Mia sang about her aunt who jumped into the Seine without looking in her final audition, “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)”. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 89th Academy Awards and compares dreamers to her aunt who took a risk without considering the consequences.