After a centennial ban, the hay river in Paris is again open for public bathing. Since 1988, when the former French president Jacques Shirak for the first time promised to return the bathing in the Sena, phased measures were taken to clean the river. In the summer of the Olympic Games last summer, more than 1.4 billion euros were invested in the cleaning of the Seine, the Air Force reports.
The seasonal opening of the a Seine for swimming is considered as one of the key heritage of the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, during which swimmers in open water and triathlets competed in specially purified waters of the river.
On Saturday morning, several dozen people came to the river in advance and jumped into the water as soon as it became allowed.
Three zones for public bathing were allocated in the hay: one next to the Eiffel Tower, the other – not far from the Cathedral of the Parisian Mother of God, and the third in the eastern part of the city.