Paris sewers
Although the Romans built a small number of sewer lines on the Left Bank, the development of the sewers of Paris dates back to the year 1370, when the first underground system was built under Rue Montmartre. Consecutive French governments enlarged the system to cover the city's population, including modernization and expansions under Louis XIV and Napoleon III. These were followed by modernisation programs in the 1990s under Mayor Jacques Chirac. Paris's sewer system has featured in popular culture throughout its existence, including Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, Les Misérables, and H. L. Humes's 1958 novel The Underground City.