It may seem crazy, but one of Paris’s best-kept secrets… has been right under our feet for 114 years. The Bièvre is a hidden treasure 35 km long, part of which literally flows beneath the capital. Buried since 1912, it runs alongside the Jardin des Plantes and the Latin Quarter before joining the Seine at the foot of the Austerlitz train station…
The Bièvre, Paris’s hidden river, buried for over 100 years
It may sound crazy, but yes,there really is a river slumbering beneath Paris, more precisely between the 13th and 5th arrondissements. The Bièvre was once a prime location for dyers and tanners, who drew water from it to carry out their work. So much so that the banks of the Bièvre became a true economic lifeline for Paris.
Unfortunately, and as one might expect, the water quality has deteriorated over the years, largely due to intense human activity. Plagued byrecurring floodsand odor problems, the Bièvre is now described as a sewer. It isno longer welcomein Paris. Thus, as early as 1860, Baron Haussmann and his engineer Belgrand saw only one solution:to eliminate the Bièvre. In 1912, the sections of the river that flowed through Paris were simplyencased in concrete. The waterway was thenredirected into the city’s sewer system.
Today, of the river’s 36-kilometer course, only 20 km are still active in the Île-de-France region. In Paris, the river’s course has either disappeared beneath the cobblestones and roads or been replaced by sewers. However , it can still be seen in the open, particularly between Arcueil and Gentilly.