La piscine Deligny was one of Paris's most iconic swimming establishments, originally created in 1785 as a floating bath structure on the Seine River near the Quai Anatole-France in the 7th arrondissement.

Named after a swimming instructor who founded a royal swimming school there in 1801, it was expanded in the 1840s using multiple connected barges to create a 50-meter pool.

The facility became a prestigious social destination, attracting royalty and the Parisian elite, and even hosted swimming events during the 1900 Paris Olympics. Beyond swimming, it featured restaurants, private salons, and a popular sunbathing deck that became famous for topless sunbathing in the 1970s.

After over 200 years of operation, the historic pool met a tragic end when it suddenly sank into the Seine in just 40 minutes on July 8, 1993, due to a structural failure, marking the end of an era in Parisian swimming culture.

Here’s another view of the pool and its sunbathers from the inside:

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