No one is absolutely sure when or where the tradition of placing padlocks on bridges around the world originated. What is known is that the custom of using “Love Locks” to signify undying love and/or affection has gained popularity throughout the world.
Couples will attach their love lock to the bridge of their choice then toss the key into the river below to memorialize their undying bond.
My wife and I recently traveled across much of Europe and enjoyed a two day stay in the German city of Cologne, home to one of the largest cathedrals in the world. Cologne is also home of the Hohernzollern Bridge which spans the Rhine River.
We were amazed to see more than 500,000 of these symbols of everlasting love attached to the bridge. Several years earlier we were vacationing in Paris, France, where the famous Pont des Arts bridge near the Louvre Art Gallery crosses the Seine River. By 2015 romantic couples had placed nearly one-million locks on the bridge, weighing in at nearly 45 tons. French authorities, concerned with safety, have since removed all of the locks.
Never fear lovers, there are literally hundreds of bridges around the world where you can display your love for each other by placing your own love lock on the structure.
My wife and I (romantics at heart) purchased our own love lock in Cologne with the idea to bring it back to the United States and lock it to a bridge across the Missouri river in our hometown of Great Falls.
To our delight, we found just the right bridge to memorialize our love for each other. This bridge is part of the River’s Edge Trail and is the foot bridge constructed on the old railway bridge crossing the Missouri parallel to the Central Ave West bridge, connecting the west side of Gt. Falls to the city proper.
It is in a beautiful location near parks and the federal courthouse. Not surprisingly, we discovered that other like-minded couples had already placed their love locks on this beautiful walking bridge. Like many others before us all over the world, we placed our love lock on the bridge, and then tossed the key into the river. We will forever let it remind us of our devotion to each other.
Author: Staff
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