Professing your love for someone often takes a mountain of courage and effort. What if the other person didn’t share these beautiful emotions? What if they already had somebody in their life? But what if they weren’t already spoken for, right?
Indeed, one could have an endless number of scenarios, continually playing out in their head. But no sooner would they figure it all out than the moment they strip their soul naked; and hopefully, their feelings would be reciprocated and kept locked down forever.
For years, couples have been following this sugar-sweet padlock ritual; therefore, this lovely phenomenon quickly spread across the globe with burgeoning popularity. The love padlock is usually attached to a public object, most often a famous bridge, and it symbolizes the idea of the immortalized, unbreakable love between two people.
Once the padlock clicks and locks down, the key is thrown far away into the river below, thus keeping their romance alive and thriving for years to come.
Wondering where such fantastic places are to be found? Come, join us on our love tour through the world’s most famous love lock locations.
20 Pont des Arts Bridge, Paris, France
Pont des Arts Bridge in Paris, France, is, hands down, one of the most famous and romantic love lock locations around the world. The bridge, built over the river Seine, has long been a favorite place for spending time with your loved one. But regardless of all the romantic vibes floating through the air, the weight of the locks may threaten the stability and longevity of the bridge. In June 2014, a large part of the parapet carrying all the colorful padlocks nearly collapsed due to the excessive weight. Therefore, the city of Paris decided to get rid of at least one-third of the locks, 10mosttoday.com reveals. Apparently, the bridge couldn't take all the love no matter how much it wanted to.
19 Ljubavi Bridge, Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia
In English, Ljubavi Bridge basically translates as the "Bridge of Love," and it's located in a small Serbian town, known as Vrnjačka Banja. Tales and legends of a lovely woman and her broken heart have grown up around this place since World War I. There was a lady, a schoolmistress, named Nada who met her fiance, Relja, exactly on this Ljubavi Bridge before he joined the military at the time, cntravellerme.com reveals.
But during his mission to Greece, he confessed to Nada that he fell in love with somebody else, and it left Nada's heart shattered into pieces. Since then, Nada's broken heart has become a cautionary tale for other young couples. Eventually, they started attaching padlocks to the bridge, with the hopes of keeping their love "locked down" for good.
18 Hohenzollern Bridge, Cologne, Germany
Strolling along the romantic bridge, built over river Rhine, you’ll be passing by a fence, richly covered with padlocks, each more colorful and beautiful than the other. The Hohenzollern Bridge is widely known as one of the most symbolic places in the city of Cologne, www.cntravellerme.com notes. Also, it's pretty much perfect for anyone who wants to profess their love for their partner. But while most couples stop by the railway lines to attach their love padlocks, tourists use the space to take a picture at the magnificent Cologne Dome, waiting at the far end of the bridge.
17 Lotus Peak, Mount Huangshan, China
Love is an emotional roller coaster with more ups and downs than we would ever be able to count; and nothing proves it more than this exotic location in China, cntravellerme.com notes. Here, at the scenic Lotus Peak of Mount Huangshan, couples can confess their true feelings to one another by climbing to the top and attaching the padlock to the iron chains. But just to be sure that their love is perfectly locked down, couples love the idea of throwing the key into the deep abyss below, while enjoying the magical views of nature. Indeed, that’s quite a place to express your feelings to the person you love.
16 The Tank House Lane, Distillery District, Toronto, Canada
Unlike the other love lock bridges, city officials in Toronto have come up with a unique way to attract couples without having to witness another collapse in the structure of the bridge. They initiated an interesting padlock-inspired project – an installation that spells out the word “love”. The massive structure, built in the distillery district of the city, is about 30 ft long and approximat3ely 8ft high, cntravellerme.com notes. Originally, the city officials wanted to appease those who follow that padlock “religion” by giving them a platform to share their love and eventually lock it down.
15 Fuente de los Candados, Montevideo, Uruguay
Another small reminder that true love is still alive and breathing is this beautiful fountain, nestled in the heart of Montevideo. This unique love lock place, situated on Avenida 18 de Julio, is where people come to say “I love you” and immortalize the phrase by attaching the padlock onto the sides of the structure. According to cntravelerme.com, locals believe that when the initials of the two are carved into the padlock, then the spark in their relationship will keep burning forever.
"The legend of this young fountain tells us that they will return together to the fountain and their love will be forever locked there”, cntravellerme.com details.
14 Luzhkov Bridge, Moscow, Russia
Similarly to the installation in the Distillery district in Toronto, Canada, the city authorities in Moscow have also built metallic trees alongside Luzhkov Bridge. Thus, couples and newlyweds can place their locks to the trees rather than the metal bars and railings along the bridge. Additionally, it will drastically minimize the risk of collapsing railings due to the excessive weight added from the metal padlocks. Since the creation of these iron-clad trees, more and more couples have come here to explore the unique location and express their feelings to their partner. The trees are made of iron, cntravellerme.com details, and represent the strength and purity of love.
13 Bryggebroen Bridge, Copenhagen, Denmark
Since the official opening of the Danish Bryggeobroen bridge in 2006, thousands of couples have latched their promised padlocks onto the railings. But most interestingly, the city officials in the colorful city of Copenhagen have confirmed that they’ve got no plans to remove these padlocks anytime soon. Additionally, the statement was also supported by Mr. Janus Christofferson, the spokesman for the city’s technical and environmental administration. Of course, they expect lots of padlocks to be latched onto the railings in the next few years; however, according to cntravellerme.com, they will most likely remain there.
12 N Seoul Tower, Seoul, South Korea
Besides being quite a romantic site in the entire country, N Seoul Tower encourages couples to attach their promised padlocks to the Trees of Love or around the fences surrounding the place, cntravellerme.com details. Padlocks of all kind, color and size have been latched onto the railings as well. But most interestingly, many of the padlocks are inscribed in multiple languages – meaning that the N Seoul Tower is slowly but surely becoming a magnet for international tourists as well. Similarly to the Danish Bryggeobroen bridge, Seoul's city officials aren’t at all interested in cutting down the number of padlocks either.
11 Staalmeestersbrug Bridge, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Staalmeestersbrug Bridge, or also commonly known as Bridge 227, may not be as crowded as the beautiful Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne and Pont de l'Archeveche Bridge in Paris, but it’s got a great potential of becoming a magnet for all the romantic souls out there. This bridge of love boasts a magnificent view of the first Protestant church in the Netherlands, known as the Zuiderkerk, built in the 17th century, cntravellerme.com reveals.
While strolling along the Staalmeestersbrug bridge, couples and tourists are also able to enjoy the beauty of the famous Groenburgwal canal and its flowing waters. And as the evening draws near, couples may finally latch their padlock onto the bridge, hoping for eternal love and understanding.
10 Butchers Bridge, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Built in 2010, this quaint footbridge in Ljubljana is beautifully adorned with statues and sculptures of frogs and shells, placed on either side of the fences. But still, there’s one in particular that dominates the bridge: the disgraced statue of Adam and Eve alongside the fleeing Prometheus and the vain Satyr, slovenia.si details. The entire frame of the Butcher’s Bridge is well secured with steel wires, so it surely helps the city keep the love lock trend alive in Ljubljana. But best of all – tourists can also explore other beauties nearby the bridge, such as the central market and the Petkovsek Embankment.
9 Ponte Milvio Bridge In Rome, Italy
Ponte Milvio Bridge is, without a doubt, one of the oldest ones in Italy; therefore, it's also a fan favorite of both travelers and locals, planning to take the off-beaten tourist path. Today, Ponte Milvio is probably most synonymous with red wine, love, and butterflies. The aura surrounding this place even inspired the great Italian author, Federico Moccia, 10mosttoday.com, reveals. His infatuation with the place and the romantic lamposts has also spilled over into his fictional world. Moccia's book Ho Voglia di Te is his romantic way of saying "I Adore Ponte Milvio". No wonder why all of these couples love coming here to enjoy the beauty of the bridge.
8 Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, USA
A day doesn't go by that couples don't come here to make an epic declaration of love. The Brooklyn Bridge has long been a favorite location where people literally lock their feelings onto the railings. But even though most couples adore this beautiful tradition, NYC's Department of Transportation is quite resentful of it, and rightly so. Over the years, this loving ritual has cost the city lots of money and efforts when it comes to the removal of the padlocks. Indeed, the additional weight of the locks really threatens the stability of the bridge. Therefore, according to nypost.com, any amorous couple that gets caught trying to latch their padlock onto the bridge will be issued a $100 fine.
"It costs the city real money in terms of sending our personnel out there to remove them. It’s a lot of extra work”, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said.
7 Lu Xun Park In Shanghai, China
In 2015, the famous French jeweler, Mathieu Tournaire, produced quite an interesting plan for a special "love tree" at Lu Xun Park in Shanghai, China. Originally, Mathieu's idea was to give amorous couples as much space for love locks as possible. Today, these uniquely designed love trees enjoy great attention from both international travelers and locals. The odd sculpture, which has been around for only three years, is now a major tourist attraction in Lu Xun Park in Shanghai. But the best part of all is that the sculpture is at no risk of being severely damaged by the weight of the padlocks, architecturaldigest.com states.
6 The Flame Of Liberty In Paris, France
Indeed, Paris is not only the City of the Bright Lights, but it can also serve as the Love Capital of The World. The world-recognized landmark, known as the Flame of Liberty, resembles an actual gold leaf-covered replica of a flame, situated exactly at the upper end of the torch, architecturaldigest.com reveals. In fact, the actual Flame of Liberty wasn't always located in Paris. The Flame was actually gifted to the French community in the early 90s. The beautiful sculpture is now a much-favored place by couples, who cannot wait to place their padlocks onto the chains surrounding the flame.
5 Massachusetts Avenue Bridge (Boston), USA
In 2017, The Massachusetts Avenue Bridge in Boston went through a series of reconstructions, including new pavement, posts, chainlinks, and unfortunately, a new love lock-less appearance of the bridge. The Avenue bridge has long been a hotspot for lovebirds, who come here to cement their feelings in concrete; however, the additional weight of all the locks eventually resulted in a complete reconstruction of the Avenue Bridge, architecturaldigest.com reveals. Similarly to NYC Brooklyn Bridge, where couples may get issued a $100 fine for latching padlocks onto the chains, it's probably just a matter of time before the Avenue Bridge follows the example.
4 Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Lisbon, Portugal)
Have you heard of the great Monument of Love in Portugal? It's, hands down, one of the most famed and romantic tourist attractions in the country. The construction at Padrão dos Descobrimentos is made up of four giant red sculptures, spelling out the magical word "LOVE", architecturaldigest.com details. Each letter is 3-dimensional, so visitors can place their padlocks onto the construction as many times as they want to. But if you've forgotten to bring your love lock, you can always get one on site from the nearby vendors. Indeed, city officials have certainly found a way to appease all amorous couples while making money out of it. Another lovely feature about the site is that it faces the water, making the place even more romantic and beautiful.
3 Casa Di Giulietta In Verona, Italy
Is there anything that could be more romantic than exploring Juliet's home and famous balcony? No, there's hardly anything that could beat it. Here, at Casa di Giulietta in Verona, Italy, couples can visit Juliet's famous courtyard and even get the chance to feel that Shakespeare's Rome and Juliet vibe on the balcony. There's a gate with iron bars leading up to it, so couples are now able to put their love locks there. But hopefully, it will be a far cry from everything you know about the couple's dramatic and tragic romance.
Interestingly, visitors have been exploring the opportunity to leave handwritten letters to the heartbroken heroine for years. Even in the 2010 movie, Letters to Juliet, the plotline is mostly focused on a mysterious letter found exactly in Juliet's courtyard, lovelocksonline.com reveals.
2 Stan Veterans Memorial Bridge In St. Louis, Missouri
The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge was named after the late MVP baseball player Stanley, also known as "Stan the Man". In 2013, the former New Mississippi River Bridge was officially renamed to pay tribute to the baseball legend and all the American veterans in general, lovelocksonline.com details. Although The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge isn't nearly as romantic or famous as the Parisian Pont des Arts or the one in Verona, it's certainly on the rise. On the bright side, though, it always feels great to be the first couple to have placed a colorful padlock onto the bridge of a less-known love lock location.
1 Ponte De L'archeveche In Paris, France
Another popular sight in Paris that eventually became a tourist attraction as well is this lovely bridge, crossing the Seine river. Ponte De L'archeveche is, without a doubt, a beautiful place to talk about love, but it's definitely a little less visited than the Pont des Arts, which has already earned the right of fame. But nevertheless, The Ponte de l'Archevêché was once featured on the TV show, Highlander, and that's a pretty good starting point for this baby bridge in Paris, lovelocksonline.com shares. Unfortunately for all the lovebirds out there, city officials regularly clear off love locks to prevent any structural damages to the skeleton of the bridge.
References: lovelocksonline.com, nypost.com, architecturaldigest.com, 10mosttoday.com, slovenia.si, cntravellerme.com