Visit along the water…
While walking, cycling or boating along the banks of the Seine, take time to stop off at the Poses-Amfreville dam. It’s a unique place to watch the boats go by and take in the breathtaking views of the river!
The locks at Amfreville sous les MontsPoses, a canal town on the banks of the Seine
For centuries, the halte batelière de Poses has lived to the rhythm of the Seine and the incessant coming and going of boats. Before the dam and locks were built between 1878 and 1881, the Seine was so powerful and steep that boats had to be pulled along the towpaths by men and then by horses. Generations of bargemen succeeded one another in Poses: hauliers and river carters, converted in the age of steamers into tugboat captains, facilitated river transport until the dam was built.
Today the dam and locks stretch over 235 metres in length and are a curiosity in their own right for young and old alike. Take a footbridge over the entire facility, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross over the river.
Discover a remarkable ecological heritage from the observation chamber for migrating fish up the Seine. The many species of fish can be seen from the Seinoscope, the only observation chamber on the Seine, with three picture windows below water level.
View of the Amfreville-sous-les-Monts dam from the banks of the Seine
Water flow seen from the footbridge of the Amfreville-sous-les-Monts dam
Barge causing upheaval as it passes upstream of the large lock.Between the municipalities of Poses on the left bank and Amfreville-sous-les-Monts on the right bank, this mobile spillway dam was installed to bridge the difference in level between upstream and downstream on the river. It is the last set of spillway dams on the downstream course of the Seine, 160 km from its mouth in the English Channel. The structure, the work of bridges and roads chief engineer Édouard Caméré and engineer Clerc, was inaugurated on 3 July 1887 with the aim of improving the flow of river traffic. A real technical feat at the time of its construction, the dam held back 5.35 m of water for a 4 m waterfall.
Nowadays, the dam has also become a site for observing and protecting the biodiversity of the Seine, thanks in particular to the Seinoscope. A swim-up ladder also gives fish access to breeding or nursery areas, while a viewing chamber enables scientific monitoring of the number of migratory fish each season by video counting. You will be fascinated by the instinct of these fish to brave the current to guarantee the survival of their species.
De Poses dam 
Sentier des deux Amants - the Seine after the lock
Sentier des deux Amants - panoramic view of the Locks and Dam
Sentier des deux Amants - Les EclusesPause while a boat passes through to watch the water transfer from one basin to another in the two locks. All tonnage combined (barges, barges, cruise ships, etc.), almost 40 boats a day pass through the locks, making a total of almost 15,000 a year. What could be more captivating than admiring the way the water fills up on one side to allow the boats to pass through on the other and continue their journey?
Currently seven lock-keepers look after the operation of the site and the tolls. There is always a lock keeper available on site.
The locks are open 24 hours a day, and every day except the following public holidays: Christmas, New Year’s Day, 1 May, Easter, 14 July, 1 November.
