Hundreds of thousands of love-locks were once affixed to the many bridges crossing the Seine in Paris. (Curtis Simmons/CC BY-NC 2.0)
Buying a lock, writing the names of your love and yourself, securing it to the famous Ponts des Arts bridge, and throwing the key into the River Seine was a bucketlist item for many lovebirds vacationing in the City of Love, just as much as paying a visit to the Eiffel Tower itself. It was the ultimate symbol of true love.
Now the locks represent something different. Almost two years ago, the city of Paris decided to remove the famous love locks from the bridge spanning the Seine. What started as a romantic tradition turned into a preservation concern, as the bridge began falling apart due to the weight of the more than 700,000 locks it held at one point.
Paris won’t just toss their love locks away, though. The 45 tons of locks will eventually be turned into scrap metal for sale and the profits (expected to amount to roughly $107,000) will go towards refugees living in France. Paris’ deputy mayor, Bruno Julliard, said that citizens can also purchase the locks at an affordable price and proceeds of the sales will go “to those who work in support and in solidarity of the refugees in Paris.”
To prevent the historic bridges from crumbling again, officials installed glass panels to protect the bridge and also deter people from hanging their locks. This spring, anyone could buy a love lock, preserve French history, and help thousands of refugees.
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