Love padlocks by night on Butchers' Bridge inLjubljana, SloveniaLove without locks campaign, Passerelle Debilly, Paris
Alove lock orlove padlock is apadlock thatcouples lock to abridge,fence,gate,monument, or similar public fixture to symbolize their love.[1] Typically the sweethearts' names or initials, and perhaps the date, are inscribed on the padlock, and its key is thrown away (often into a nearby river) to symbolize unbreakable love.
Since the 2000s, love locks have proliferated at an increasing number of locations worldwide. They are treated by some municipal authorities as litter orvandalism, and there is some cost to their removal. However, there are other authorities who embrace them, and who use them as fundraising projects or tourist attractions.
In 2014, theNew York Times reported that the history of love padlocks dates back at least 100 years to a melancholic Serbian tale ofWorld War I, with an attribution for the bridgeMost Ljubavi (lit. theBridge of Love) in thespa town ofVrnjačka Banja.[2] A local schoolmistress namedNada fell in love with a Serbian officer namedRelja. After they committed to each other, Relja went to war inGreece, where he fell in love with a local woman fromCorfu. As a consequence, Relja and Nada broke off their engagement. Nada never recovered from that devastating blow, and after some time she died due to heartbreak from her unfortunate love.[3]
As young women fromVrnjačka Banja wanted to protect their own loves, they started writing down their names, with the names of their loved ones, onpadlocks and affixing them to the railings of the bridge where Nada and Relja used to meet.[4][5]
Because, like everywhere else, the locks are heavy and there is a potential of damage to the bridge (which is especially small here in the original Bridge of Love Locks location compared to some larger bridges elsewhere, though nowhere is a bridge big enough to be able to withstand the weight of ever adding heavy material like metal), local authorities remove them regularly and have used them, among other, for smelting for monuments in their spa town.[6]
In the rest of Europe, love padlocks started appearing in the early 2000s as aritual.[7] The reasons love padlocks started to appear vary between locations and in many instances are unclear. However, inRome, the ritual of affixing love padlocks to the bridgePonte Milvio can be attributed to the 2006 bookI Want You by Italian authorFederico Moccia, who made afilm adaptation in 2007.[8][9]
Love locks as seen on the footbridge at the Eurasian / North American Rift in Iceland
The oceanic divergent plate boundary ofNorth American Plate andEurasian Plate divides Iceland. The western part of Iceland sits on the North American Plate and the eastern part sits on the Eurasian Plate. TheReykjanes Ridge of the Mid-Atlantic ridge system in this region crosses the island from southwest and connects to theKolbeinsey Ridge in the northeast. There are love locks on the footbridge at the rift.[10]: 39, 40, 49
One of many purpose-built iron trees on a bridge across theVodootvodny Canal in Moscow, completely covered in love padlocksLove lock tree,Beaulieu Palace House
In many instances, love locking has been classified an act ofvandalism[11]and local authorities and site owners have had padlocks removed.
Love padlocks in Algiers have been removed by youths
InAlgiers, love padlocks were added in September 2013 to theBurdeau Bridge Building, a bridge that was previously known as a "suicide bridge" in Telemly, a district of Algiers. Some youths brought tools to remove them by night a few days later.[12][13]
InWinnipeg, Canada, a woman biking on a bridge was seriously injured by a love lock that snagged her forearm in 2015, requiring a trip to the emergency room and 21 stitches.[14]
Authorities inCanberra, Australia, decided in February 2015 to remove love locks from a bridge that was becoming a popular location to affix them, and from other locations in Canberra. Justifications given for the decision were the possibility of future threats to public safety from eventual overloading of the bridge with a mass of padlocks, and structural interference resulting from corrosion. A bridge in Paris was mentioned by authorities as an example of an overloaded bridge, a probable reference to thePont des Arts.[15]
On 20 May 2015, council authorities inMelbourne, Australia, began removing love locks from Southgate footbridge due to safety concerns. Around 22,000 love locks were reported to have been fixed to the railings, causing cables to sag.[16]
Love padlocks were removed from theHumber Bay Arch Bridge in Toronto, due to concerns over aesthetics and structural concerns if the Bridge were to become a love padlock destination.[19]
InNorfolk, Virginia, from 2015 to 2017, citizens removed many padlocks from a scenic pedestrian bridge over The Hague inlet in Ghent, a historic neighborhood in Norfolk.[20] They then went to the Norfolk Circuit Court and forced the Norfolk City Council to remove the remaining locks and to cease encouraging such locks. The court pointed out that Virginia law considers such locks to be illegal obstructions in a right-of-way and that users of rights-of-way in Virginia have the legal right to remove such obstructions.[21]
InDe Pere, Wisconsin, at Voyageur Park, locks have been attached to a lookout called Sunset Point. As of 2015, the De Pere Parks Department was monitoring the situation.[22]
InOceanside, California, a love lock sculpture by Randall Art Ranch was installed in 2022. The artwork is located near the Harbor boat launch ramp.[23]
InCanfield, Ohio, the BIG LOCK was installed in 2014 as a community art project at the Canfield Fairgrounds. Visitors are encouraged to add a personalized lock to the 12' x 12' steel-cage rooster. The Canfield Fair is one of the largest county fairs in the country, and the rooster its official symbol. The name BIG LOCK is a play on words, referencing the Big Rock, that is also a highly referenced symbol of the Fair.[24]
People were encouraged to leave their locks on chains strung between posts at Lover's Lock Plaza inLovelock, Nevada.[26] The name of the town is unrelated to the love locks; it was named after a family that settled in the area in the 1860s. The town didn't adopt the practice until much later.
InSan Angelo, Texas, the city has erected a sculptureForever Love inspired by other "love locks" such as (formerly) the bridge in Paris.[27][28]
InDiscovery Bay, California, a lover's bridge was created by newlyweds Carolyn and Anthony George. The couple was married on 11/11/11, and after seeing the movieNow You See Me, got the idea to create a location for lovers to be "locked in love", by putting a love lock on the bridge and throwing the keys into the California Delta waterways that surround Discovery Bay.[29]
In France, May 2010, the city of Paris expressed concern over the growing number of love locks on thePont des Arts,Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor, and thePont de l'Archevêché bridges, stating: "they raise problems for the preservation of our architectural heritage". The lovelocks of the Pont des Arts disappeared during the night of 11 May 2010; they had been removed by a student of the nearbyÉcole des Beaux-Arts to make a sculpture.[30] Love locks immediately began appearing on thePont de l'Archevêché[7] and have since spread to at least 11 Seine bridges, the Canal Saint Martin footbridges, and to parks and monuments all over the city. Many tourists mistakenly believe this is a longstanding Parisian tradition, not realizing the practice only migrated into Paris in late 2008 after affecting cities in Italy and Asia. In January 2014, a campaign and petition, No Love Locks™,[31] was founded by two Americans living in Paris in an effort to save the city's historic bridges and monuments from the overwhelming number of locks. The international media attention the campaign received has been credited with the actions begun in the summer and fall of 2014, when the city began seeking alternatives to love locks and asking the public to stop placing locks on Parisian bridges and monuments. On 9 May 2014, the weight of the padlocks on the Pont Des Arts bridge was blamed for the collapse of part of theparapet.[32] The city began an experiment in September 2014 on the Pont des Arts, replacing three panels with a special type of glass that would prevent locks from being attached.[33] On 1 June 2015, the locks were taken down due to the collapsing of the bridge.[34] A website called Passion Locks exists, a tribute toPont des Arts, where users can send others a virtual love lock.[35]
InBamberg, Germany, after inviting the public to attach love locks on theKettenbrücke in 2011, officials threatened to remove them during the same year due to rust. After public outrage and several township meetings, the locks remain. InBerlin, applying a lock to a bridge is a misdemeanor and can generate cautionary fines up to €35. Historical bridges are especially affected, as it disturbs the visual impression, and can even cause angalvanic corrosion of noble brass of the locks against the baser iron bridges, leading to rust damage. Rust damage was noted inLübeck at theObertrave bridge. In addition, damage in removing the locks is seen by municipalities as a problem.[36]Deutsche Bahn, the bridge's operator, threatened to have the locks removed from theHohenzollern Bridge inCologne, but in the end relented in the face of public opposition.[37] Lovelocks are now embraced on the bridge, and visitors are directed to them on the city tourism site.[38] InHamburg thisritual was also spread amongbridges andlighthouses.[39]
InFlorence, Italy, 5,500 love padlocks affixed to thePonte Vecchio bridge were removed by the city council. According to the council the padlocks pose an aesthetic problem in addition to scratching and denting the metal of the bridge.[40]
Venice is among cities where affixing padlocks to bridges is strictly prohibited. This was enforced particularly earnestly for Venice'sRialto Bridge, which led to violent controversy in September 2011.[41] Locks were removed, and adding new ones can result in up to a €3,000fine.[42]
InDublin, Ireland, padlocks on theHa'penny Bridge over theRiver Liffey were removed by the Dublin City Council in early 2012. The padlocks could damage the protected structure, the Council has said. "This seems to have only started happening in the last few months and we're asking people not to do it," said a spokesperson for Dublin City Council. Some locks have also been removed from theMillennium Bridge, close to theHa'penny Bridge in the city centre, the Council said. The padlocks have been criticised for being an eyesore on public structures. They can also cause further damage when they have to be removed, the Council said. The spokesperson confirmed that the Council will continue to remove the locks from any bridges they appear on in the city centre.[43]
In Scotland, a "Mark your Spot" campaign was launched by the Edinburgh City Council on theForth Road Bridge. 4 sets of panels on the bridge itself were dedicated to Lovelocks, with both locals and tourists buying and affixing locks to them. This was a charity initiative that raised £10,300 for the QueensferryRNLI, a local lifeboat service.[44]
To celebrate their meeting in Japan, Jonathan Montagu andNathalie Daoust commissioned artist Clare Grotefeld to design and create a giantbonsai love lock tree for their wedding on 4 October 2014. The tree is located atBeaulieu Palace House, UK, where couples are invited to help the tree flourish by adding their own love locks.[45]
InTampere, Finland, in 2012, two artists removed hundreds of love locks from Patosilta bridge that overlooksTammerkoski rapids. They melted the locks into a work of art, a 150 kilogram cube, called One Love. The removal of the locks caused a great controversy.[46]
InRecife,Brazil, a love lock project initiated by Diego Lima was on afence on Aurora Street; however, after it was stolen and sold for scrap metal a second time, he decided not to give the installment a third chance.[47]
InBakewell, England, thousands of locks were removed from theWeir Bridge in 2018 after complaints from locals. Proposals for purpose built metal trees have since been put forward.[48]
In October 2023, theGrand Canyon National Park warned guests against attaching love locks. Aside from rules against littering and graffiti, the keys which were thrown away were often eaten by endangeredCalifornia condors, which posed a serious health hazard to them.[49]
On some locations the padlocks have been given almost legendary or superstitious character:
InFengyuan, Taiwan, love padlocks affixed to an overpass atthe city's train station are often affixed in pairs. These locks are known as "wish locks" and local legend holds that the magnetic field generated by trains passing underneath will cause energy to accumulate in the locks and fulfill the wishes.[50]
On a fountain inMontevideo in Uruguay, a plaque is affixed to the front of the fountain that provides an explanation in both English and Spanish. The English version of the text reads, "The legend of this young fountain tells us that if a lock with the initials of two people in love is placed in it, they will return together to the fountain and their love will be forever locked."[51]
^Comments, Posted: 09/10/2015 3:00 AM | Last Modified: 09/10/2015 7:52 AM | Updates (10 September 2015)."She thought bridge locks were a sweet idea – until she was injured".Winnipeg Free Press.Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved19 August 2019 – via www.winnipegfreepress.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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