Did you know that there's a person who, for over 150 years, has been able to judge the size of a Seine flood at a glance? It's called the Zouave, and it's a stone statue located under the Pont de l'Alma, used for decades to measure the level of the Parisian river.
Part of a group of four statues representing soldiers who fought in Napoleon III' s Crimean War from 1853 to 1856, the Zouave statue on the Pont de l'Alma is the work of French sculptor Georges Diebolt. Installed in 1856 under the Pont de l'Alma, only the statue of the Zouave now remains on the right bank, the Chasseur à pied, the Artilleur and the Grenadier having been moved when the bridge was enlarged in the early 1970s.
The origin of the soldier who served as model for the Zouave is still a matter of debate; it could be the soldier André-Louis Gody, or a Breton by the name of Nérigot or Bérizot. He is dressed in thetraditional uniform of the Zouaves, the South African soldiers called up to take part in the battles of the Second Empire, particularly the Battle of Alma in 1854: the famous fez screwed onto the skull, a buttonless jacket, bloomers and leggings.
So what's the link between the Zouave and flooding on the Seine? Since the beginning of the last century, it's been said that when the Zouave has his feet in the water, the Seine is in flood! And the tradition proved true: during the famous flood of 1910, the biggest in recent Parisian history, the level of the Seine rose so much - up to 8.62 meters - that the Zouave wasup to his shoulders in water!
However, since the bridge was rebuilt in the 1970s, the Zouave's opinion is no longer so unquestionable. Indeed, the statue has been moved, and it is possible that it has been placed higher or lower on the pier of the Pont de l'Alma. But the Parisian tradition lives on!
Dates and Opening Time
Starts September 1, 2022
Location
Alma Bridge
Pont de l'Alma
75008 Paris 8
