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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.
List of contents
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction: Setting the Stage
¿1.¿Welcome to the Seine
¿2.¿From the Beginnings of Paris
¿3.¿Viking Raids in France
¿4.¿Money Changes Hands
¿5.¿The Seine in the Hundred Years War
¿6.¿A World Heritage Cultural Site and the Bridges (Ponts) Over the Seine in Paris
¿7.¿Île Saint-Louis
¿8.¿The Glory of Notre-Dame de Paris
¿9.¿The Sainte-Chapelle
10.¿Pont Neuf
11.¿The Louvre
12.¿The Musée d'Orsay
13.¿The Place de la Concorde and Louis XVI
14.¿The Petit Palais
15.¿The Grand Palais
16.¿The Eiffel Tower
17.¿Bateau Mouche Excursion Boats
18.¿Illustrations and Descriptions of the River Seine
19.¿The Latin Quarter and Peter Abelard
20.¿The Riverbanks (Berges) of the Seine in Paris
21.¿The Brigade Fluviale (River Police) of Paris
22.¿The Bloody Seine
23.¿The Unknown Woman of the Seine
24.¿The "Thirty Glorious Years"
25.¿Paris and the Man-Made Evolution of the Seine Basin
26.¿The Old Ports of Paris
27.¿Haropa Port: The Combined Ports of Le Havre, Rouen, and Paris
28.¿The Likely Future of the Seine
29.¿The Seine and the English Channel
30.¿Suburban Villages Along the Seine
31.¿New Crews for European River Transport
Conclusions: The Jewel in the Crown
A Chronology
Appendix 1: The Seine and Architecture in Paris
Appendix 2: The Mona Lisa
Appendix 3: The Paris-Area Canals
Appendix 4: Tug Boats on the Seine
Appendix 5: Shipping Along the Seine in Paris
Appendix 6: The Tidal Wave of the Seine
Appendix 7: Medieval Transport of Wine and Grain by River
Appendix 8: The First Iron Steamship to Reach Paris
Appendix 9: The Inland Waterways Museum on the Seine
Appendix 10: Mercenaries Along the Seine
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
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.
