If you have traveled in European capitals and not only, you have probably noticed that some gates, bridges, fences or walls are covered with padlocks – the padlocks of love.
This is a tradition that is becoming increasingly popular where lovers sometimes inscribe their initials on the padlock and after set release their keys away symbolizing unbreakable love.
It is not possible to determine with certainty what its origin but dates back at least 100 years to a Serbian tale in the time of the First World War where a young woman named Nada, native of Vrnjačka Banja, fell in love with a Serbian official named Relja. After declaring their love for each other, Relja will fight for war in Greece, where he falls in love with another woman. As a consequence, Relja and Nada end the engagement. Nada has ever recovered from the devastating blow, and after a while she ends up dying because of the disappointment of her unfortunate love. As the young women of Vrnjačka Banja wanted to protect their own loves, they began to write their names and their lover names on padlocks and lock them in the bars of the Most Ljubavi (Bridge of Love) bridge where Nada and Relja used to be found.
This proof of eternal love is not well seen by some critics and local authorities in some of the popular destinations because they not only alter the aesthetics of the monuments but also represent a danger for their maintenance.
In 2014 a part of the Pont des Arts in Paris linking the Louvre Museum to the French Academy collapsed due to the weight of the padlocks left there, the remainder padlocks were removed a little later. After Paris, other cities forbade the placement of locks in their moments, even imposing fines for those who do it.
The fact that in the last few years some movies and books show this ritual, helped to become popular and nowadays it is possible to find the locks of love around the world, see below some of the cities where you can immortalize your love:
Luzhkov Bridge, Moscow (Russia)
Instead of putting the padlock on the bridge structure, in Moscow they are hung on metal trees. Installed in 2007 by Mayor YuriyLuzhkov, the venue is an obligatory stop for passionate couples.
Brooklyn Bridge, New York (USA)
In one of the most famous cities in the world also has a bridge where couples lock their love. But authorities do not see the symbol as romantic, many locks have already been ripped and thrown into the East River.
Charles Bridge, Prague (Czech Republic)
One of the oldest bridges in the country houses a building where some couples put the padlock to hold the love.
RakkaudenSilta Bridge, Helsinki (Finland)
In Finland, the bridge of love that crosses the Vantaa River, accepts padlocks without restriction. There, besides tradition being well accepted, it is permitted by law. Now the question is whether couples are willing to face an average temperature of 5.3 ° C.
Hohenzollern Bridge, Cologne (Germany)
The largest city in the state of Rhineland is on the list of romantics. The 400-meter bridge is located on the Rhine River.
Wilanow Bridge, Warsaw (Poland)
In Poland a heart-shaped bridge was built in 2012 especially for couples to lock up love and to carry the weight of both padlocks.
Juliet’s House, Verona (Italy)
Juliet’s House is world-famous for Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”. The walls surrounding the house are adorned with love letters that visitors leave on the street and the locks of love can be placed by passionate couples in their iron gates.
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