Water is the life source of ourselves and of our gardens … The history of the area is rooted in this loop of the river - from the first maritime links with Paris and the dining-tables of kings, to the construction of the famous Machine de Marly; in everything from great historical events to everyday incidents, the Seine has always played a part.

 

The history of this stretch of the river is dominated by the construction of the Machine de Marly in the 17^th century.  Described as the eighth wonder of the world, the colossal structure was situated at Bougival.  Built by two Belgian engineers, at the request of Louis XIV, the Machine de Marly was capable of pumping water from the Seine to supply the gardens of Versailles, and the town of Marly.  At one time fishing and farming villages, the river led to the towns’ growth; the market garden they had become was the source of the stones used to construct the great buildings of Haussmann in Paris.

 

Port activity continued to grow.  Port-Marly was the harbour of Marly, the starting-point of the boats transporting the wine (produced on the slopes of Marly’s hills) which ended up on the royal dining-tables of Paris.

 

Le Pecq was also a very busy commercial port in the 19^th century.  A steam-driven bateau-mouche, the “tourist” boat, provided the link between the Quai d’Orsay in Paris and Le Pecq; on Sundays, it was even possible to dine on board!  In the 19^th century, increased river activity led to the construction of the Bougival lock, while the weak current and constant river level at Marly saw the growth of boating as a leisure pursuit.  A small steamboat, the “ramier” was introduced to connect the bridges of Chatou and Bougival, producing scenes featuring a whole flotilla of little boats sailing to and fro across the Seine: the great age of tourism had arrived!  Drawn here by the area’s festive atmosphere, tourists were equally attracted by the “wild” landscapes of the islands.  The Ile de Croissy was even nicknamed the “Madagascar of the Seine”, due to the rich vegetation and questionable morals of its visitors, considered “comparable to the island’s native population!”.

This was the zenith of guinguette culture: the Maison Fournaise at Chatou, the Fruit Défendu at Rueil-Malmaison, and the Grenouillère at Croissy-sur-Seine where people could enjoy the famous “Grenouillère baths”.

 

At the end of the 19^th century, intense industrialisation and pollution of the river brought bathing in the Seine to an end, and its water was declared undrinkable.

1968 saw the destruction of the (third) Machine de Marly, whose buildings now house the technical equipment of the regional water company, Société des Eaux de Versailles et de Saint-Cloud.

Another French water supplier, Lyonnaise des Eaux, manages the Croissy–Le Pecq plant which pumps ground water.  In 2007, the company came up with the innovative concept of the “garden walk”, the Coulée Verte, along the banks of the Seine.