Love Locks

The love locks of Paris

I’ve made no secret of my love of all things French. On my last trip to Paris, I had the chance to see something new. We stayed at a quaint boutique hotel in the Latin Quarter and had to cross the River Seine to get to most of the sights we wanted to see. On our first day, we went to see the Notre-Dame de Paris, and crossed the Seine at the Pont de l’Archevêché. The fences crossing the bridge were covered with thousands of padlocks and ribbons.

I had heard about the phenomenon of “love locks”. Couples are supposed to write messages of love on the locks, fasten them onto the bridge, and cast the key into the river. It is a symbol of their everlasting love. It has been a tradition in cities all over the world and made its way to Paris several years ago. In 2010, the padlocks mysteriously vanished, rumored to have been removed by the city government.

But by my trip in mid-June of 2011, the locks were back. In addition to the Pont de l’Archevêché, the love locks can also be found on the Pont des Arts bridge. Reportedly, the locks placed on the Pont de l’Archevêché are supposed to be for your lover, while the Pont de Arts are for your true love.

Lock on the Pont de l'Archevêché bridge in Paris

If you ever find yourself in Paris, take a trip to the two bridges. If you don’t get a chance to add your own lock, it’s fascinating to walk up and down the bridge and see all the different declarations of love. David Leibovitz has a great blog post on the locks with lovely photos: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2012/04/the-love-locks-of-paris-pont-des-arts/