Charting the Voyage of Bateaux-Mouches: Lyon to Parisian Hearts

The term "bateau-mouche" was born in the 19th century on the banks of the Saône River, in one of the southern suburbs of Lyon, built on former filled-in river arms to sanitise the city. These river arms, once called "mouches," gave their nickname to this neighbourhood, the Mouche district. Naturally, the boats that came out of its shipyards in 1862 were quickly associated with their place of origin: the bateaux-mouches were born thanks to the ingenuity of Messrs. Chaize and Plasson and their passenger transport boat company, the "Compagnie des Mouches." Plasson then had the great idea to respond to a call for tenders from the organisers of the 1867 Universal Exposition for river transportation services in the city of Paris. Thirty bateaux-mouches were thus transported along the Saône to Paris and brought joy to the Parisians, who quickly adopted this new means of navigation. It must be said that renowned influencers honoured them, such as Tsar Alexander III and his two young and handsome grand dukes who frequented Parisian balls, and whose tabloids of the time reported on their every move in great detail.