Love Locks: The History of the Padlock Tradition on Bridges Around the World
Love locks are padlocks that couples write their names or initials on, fasten to a bridge railing or fence, and lock for good, often tossing the key into the water below. The idea is simple and sweet: as long as the lock stays shut, the love stays sealed. The custom has a sad, romantic origin story in Serbia, got a huge boost from an Italian novel and film in the 2000s, and became so popular in Paris that over one million locks had to be removed from a single bridge in 2015.
This guide covers where love locks came from, how they spread, what happened in Paris, Rome, Venice and New York, why so many cities now ask couples not to add them, and some gentler ways to mark your love that won't end up cut off with bolt cutters. Every date and number comes from a museum, university, news organization or official record, linked as we go.
Love locks: what they are and how the ritual works
A love lock (sometimes called a love padlock) is an ordinary padlock turned into a token of commitment. Guinness World Records describes them as padlocks "inscribed with names or initials and fixed to bridges or other structures, usually to symbolize romantic commitment."
The ritual usually goes like this:
- Choose a lock. Many couples pick a heart-shaped or brightly colored one.
- Personalize it. Names, initials, a date, or a short message are written in marker or engraved.
- Pick a spot. Bridges over rivers are the classic choice, but fences, lampposts and railings at scenic overlooks get locks too.
- Lock it together. Often both partners close it at the same time.
- Toss the key. Throwing the key into the river symbolizes that the bond can't be undone.
The symbolism is easy to read. A lock means security and keeping something safe. A key you can't get back means "forever." Put the two together on a bridge, a structure that joins two sides, and you've got a neat little metaphor for two people becoming one.
It's also a cousin of other love tokens that use the same idea. Welsh lovespoons, for example, sometimes include carved locks and keys, and the plain wedding ring works as a circle with no end. A lock is just a newer, louder version of the same wish.
The Serbian story: the Bridge of Love in Vrnjačka Banja
The love lock tradition is most often traced to a spa town in central Serbia called Vrnjačka Banja (roughly "VURN-yatch-ka BAN-ya"). The town's official tourist organization tells the story on its list of local attractions, and it goes like this.
At the start of World War I, a schoolmistress named Nada fell in love with a Serbian officer named Relja, and the two became engaged. Relja went off to fight in Greece. There he fell in love with a Greek woman and broke off the engagement. He never came back. Nada, heartbroken, faded away with sorrow and died young.
After that, according to the tourist organization, young women in the town began writing their own names and the names of their sweethearts on padlocks, fastening them to the railing of the bridge where Nada and Relja used to meet, and throwing the keys into the river. They hoped the locks would keep their own loves from slipping away the way Nada's had. The custom faded during later wars.
A poem brought the story back
The legend got a second life thanks to Desanka Maksimović, one of Serbia's best-known poets. While visiting the spa, she heard the story from older residents and wrote a poem called "Prayer for Love" (in Serbian, "Molitva za ljubav"). The tourist organization credits the poem with reviving the legend, and young couples picked up the padlock custom again. That's how the bridge got its name: Most ljubavi, the Bridge of Love.
A 2014 Smithsonian Magazine article on the Paris bridge collapse also points to this Serbian tale, describing the tradition as rumored to have begun in Serbia about a century earlier and noting that the poet revived it.
What we know and what we don't
It's worth being honest about the limits here. The Nada and Relja story is a local legend, passed down by word of mouth and later through a poem. Different tellings disagree on details, such as whether Relja met his new love in Greece in general or on the Greek island of Corfu. The University of Melbourne historian Catherine Kovesi, writing in 2014, calls the Serbian practice a local tradition, and that's a fair way to see it. It shows that people were locking padlocks for love before the 2000s, but it doesn't prove that every love lock in the world traces back to this one bridge.
How an Italian novel took love locks to Rome
The worldwide boom has a much more modern cause: a best-selling Italian love story.
In her 2014 article "From ancient China to an Italian chick flick: the story behind Venice's love lock burden," Kovesi explains how Italian author Federico Moccia played a part. His novel Tre metri sopra il cielo (Three Steps Above Heaven) came out in 1992. Its sequel, Ho voglia di te (I Want You), followed in 2006.
The 2007 film version of Ho voglia di te was a smash. Kovesi quotes Variety calling it "the best-ever opening box office success of an Italian movie." In one scene, the hero, Step, locks a padlock onto a bridge in Rome, kisses the key, and throws it into the Tiber River. Fans copied him, and the custom spread from Rome to Venice, Paris and far beyond.
The bridge most linked to the story is the Ponte Milvio, an ancient bridge over the Tiber in the north of Rome. Couples flocked to the bridge to copy the scene, and Guinness World Records also notes that the custom's popularity grew from the mid-2000s, "partly after a 2006 Italian novel brought the custom into wider view."
The "ancient China" claim
You'll sometimes read that love locks are an ancient Chinese custom. Kovesi traced that claim to a company that sells love locks, and she treats it as a myth. There are places in China where people hang padlocks, and padlock-hanging customs do exist in several countries, but there's no solid evidence that the modern bridge-padlock craze started in ancient China.
The Pont des Arts: Paris and its million padlocks
No place made love locks more famous, or showed their downside more clearly, than Paris. The Pont des Arts is a pedestrian bridge over the Seine River, linking the Louvre side of the city with the Left Bank. With its views of the river, it was a natural spot for couples. The AP report says locks began appearing about a decade before 2015, and over the years its metal mesh railings slowly disappeared under padlocks.
The collapse of 2014
On June 8, 2014, the weight finally became too much. According to Guinness World Records, a 2.4-meter section of railing on the Pont des Arts collapsed. That's about 7.9 feet (2.4 × 3.28 = 7.87). Kovesi's article describes the same event: part of the bridge had to be evacuated after more than two meters of railing gave way under the locks. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.
The Smithsonian's report on the collapse noted that thousands of locks had piled up on the bridge. Guinness compares the weight of "around a million metal locks" to "approximately 20 adult elephants."
The removal of 2015
Paris decided to clear the bridge for good. An Associated Press report published by the Christian Science Monitor says workers began dismantling the locked panels on Monday, June 1, 2015. The local mayor, Jean-Pierre Lecoq, wrote that the locks added up to 10 tonnes to the bridge, and asked: "One can really wonder about the long-term capacity of this bridge to bear such weight."
When the job was done, the numbers were staggering. Guinness World Records lists it as the record for the most love-locks removed from a bridge: over one million locks in June 2015, weighing 45 tonnes in total, including locks taken from the nearby Pont de l'Archevêché. A metric ton is about 2,205 pounds, so 45 tonnes comes to roughly 99,000 pounds (45 × 2,205 = 99,225).
The city replaced the metal mesh with panels that padlocks can't grip. The AP report describes them as "padlock-proof plexiglass panels," and the city also looked at other ways for visitors to express their love, including street art on the theme. According to Guinness, Paris later banned love locks from all of its bridges after a year of debate, although locks still turn up in spots like Montmartre and the Trocadéro gardens.
What happened to the locks
The story has a kind ending. In May 2017, the city put some of the removed locks up for auction. NPR's Bill Chappell reported, in a story republished by New Hampshire Public Radio, that nearly 200 lots were offered, from small clusters of locks to whole sections of fence. Some of the fence grids weighed more than 1,000 pounds. The sale took place at the Crédit Municipal de Paris, and the money went to three charities that help refugees: Emmaus Solidarity, the Salvation Army and Solipam.
So many couples' locks ended up doing some good in the world, which is a pretty lovely afterlife for a padlock.
Why cities remove love locks
Love locks look charming in small numbers. The trouble comes when thousands of people have the same idea. Here are the main reasons cities give for cutting them off.
Weight
One padlock is light. A million padlocks are not. The Paris collapse showed how quickly the weight adds up on railings that were never designed to carry it.
Damage to historic structures
Many love-lock bridges are old and protected. The AP report says Paris officials described the locks as causing long-term damage to the city's heritage sites. Metal locks rub, scratch and weigh on railings and stonework that can't easily be replaced.
Safety for people below
In New York City, the worry was falling metal. CBS New York reported on October 7, 2016 that the city's transportation commissioner, Polly Trottenberg, pointed to an overhead wire on the Brooklyn Bridge that "snapped under the weight" of locks hung on it. Officials warned that a padlock weighing about a pound could break off and fall onto the roadway below, where cars are passing.
Litter in the water
Every tossed key ends up at the bottom of a river or lagoon. In Venice, Kovesi notes, local campaigners posted warnings stressing the need to protect the lagoon's "delicate eco balance."
Cost and labor
Someone has to cut the locks off, haul them away and repair the railings. CBS New York reported that 11,000 locks were removed from the Brooklyn Bridge in 2015 alone. That's city time and money that could go elsewhere.
Love locks around the world: a city-by-city look
The custom has spread to bridges on nearly every continent. Here's how some of the best-known spots have handled it, based on the sources in this article.
| Place | Bridge or site | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia | Most ljubavi (Bridge of Love) | Birthplace of the WWI-era legend; locks are part of the town's identity | Vrnjačka Banja Tourist Organization |
| Rome, Italy | Ponte Milvio | Made famous by the padlock scene in Moccia's story and its film | University of Melbourne (Kovesi) |
| Venice, Italy | Accademia Bridge | About 20,000 locks removed in a two-week stretch in 2014, yet they kept coming back | University of Melbourne (Kovesi) |
| Paris, France | Pont des Arts | Railing collapsed in 2014; over one million locks removed in 2015; glass-style panels installed | Guinness World Records; AP |
| Paris, France | Pont de l'Archevêché | Locks removed alongside the Pont des Arts, counted in the 45-tonne total | Guinness World Records |
| New York City, USA | Brooklyn Bridge | 11,000 locks removed in 2015; "Yes love, no locks" signs posted | CBS New York |
| Melbourne, Australia | A small footbridge over the Yarra River | Mentioned by Kovesi as one of the places the trend reached | University of Melbourne (Kovesi) |
Venice: "Venice needs love not locks"
Venice has a special reason to worry. Kovesi points out that the Accademia Bridge, first built as a steel bridge by the Austrians in 1854, is one of only four bridges over the Grand Canal. In the two weeks before her article was published, about 20,000 locks were removed from it, and they kept reappearing. A Venetian writer, Alberto Toso Fei, launched a campaign called "Unlock Your Love," and its slogan put it neatly: "Venice needs love not locks." Posters around the city told visitors that putting locks on Venetian bridges is against the law.
New York: "Yes love, no locks"
New York took a lighthearted approach. CBS New York reported that the city put up signs on the Brooklyn Bridge walkway reading "Yes love, no locks," along with a playful version that showed a bagel with lox. It's a good example of a city saying no to the locks without saying no to the romance.
A short timeline of love locks
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Around 1914 | The Nada and Relja legend in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia, set at the start of World War I |
| Later 20th century | Desanka Maksimović's poem "Prayer for Love" revives the legend |
| 1992 | Federico Moccia publishes Tre metri sopra il cielo |
| 2006 | Moccia's sequel, Ho voglia di te, is published |
| 2007 | The film version of Ho voglia di te opens; the padlock scene inspires fans |
| January 2014 | Paris residents Lisa Anselmo and Lisa Taylor Huff begin the No Love Locks campaign after a blog post asking tourists to "unlock" their love |
| June 8, 2014 | A 2.4-meter section of railing collapses on the Pont des Arts |
| 2014 | Venice removes about 20,000 locks from the Accademia Bridge in two weeks |
| June 1, 2015 | Paris begins removing locks from the Pont des Arts |
| June 2015 | Over one million locks, 45 tonnes in total, are removed |
| 2015 | New York removes 11,000 locks from the Brooklyn Bridge |
| October 2016 | New York officials step up the "Yes love, no locks" message |
| May 2017 | Paris auctions removed locks to benefit three refugee charities |
The No Love Locks campaign deserves a word. According to Kovesi, it grew out of Lisa Anselmo's January 2014 blog post, "Dear Tourists, please Unlock your Love," which warned about the danger to the Pont des Arts and the Pont de l'Archevêché. The AP report notes the campaign was started by two Americans living in Paris. Their message wasn't anti-love. It was about protecting old bridges that belong to everyone.
Common myths and mix-ups about love locks
Myth: love locks are an ancient tradition
There's a real local tradition in Serbia going back roughly a century, according to the town's own account. The global craze, though, is much newer and took off in the 2000s. As covered above, the "ancient China" origin story came from a company selling locks.
Myth: the Pont des Arts collapsed into the river
The bridge itself didn't fall. A section of its railing gave way. That was serious enough to close part of the bridge and push the city to act, but it wasn't a full collapse.
Myth: love locks are always legal if nobody stops you
Rules vary from place to place. Paris has banned them from its bridges, Venice campaigners point out that they're against the law there, and New York has discouraged them on the Brooklyn Bridge. Many other cities quietly cut them off during maintenance. Always check local rules before adding anything to a public structure.
Myth: cutting off a lock "breaks" the relationship
A lock is a symbol, not a spell. Your relationship lives in how you treat each other, not in a piece of metal on a bridge. Plenty of couples found it comforting that their Paris locks went on to raise money for charity.
Mix-up: love locks and "lock and key" jewelry
Matching lock-and-key necklaces and charms borrow the same symbolism, but they're a separate custom. They're a popular gift because each partner keeps half, and nobody's bridge gets heavier.
Love lock alternatives: try it yourself
If you love the idea of a love lock but don't want to add to a city's maintenance bill, here are some ideas that keep the meaning and lose the metal.
Keep the lock at home
- Engrave or write on a padlock, lock it together, and hang it somewhere in your home, like on a hook by the door or on a small piece of chain fencing you mount as wall art.
- Keep the key in a little box with notes from your relationship. Or, if you want the "forever" feeling, put the key somewhere you won't easily open, like a sealed time capsule.
Look for an official love-lock spot
Some places set up dedicated structures, like sculptures or display walls, where couples are welcome to leave locks without harming a historic bridge. If you're traveling, ask the local tourist office whether one exists.
Take a photo instead
A photo of the two of you on the bridge, framed at home, gives you the memory without any of the weight. Paris officials, according to the AP report, looked for other ways for visitors to express their love, such as street art.
Choose another love token
- Exchange matching keychains, one shaped like a lock and one like a key.
- Write a love letter and seal it to open on your next anniversary.
- Plant a tree or a rosebush together.
- Pick a nickname just for each other. Our guide to couple nicknames has lots of ideas.
Make it part of a wedding or anniversary
Some couples bring the lock into their wedding day as a small ceremony of its own, a bit like lighting a unity candle. Here's a simple way to do it:
- Have the lock engraved with your names and wedding date ahead of time.
- During the ceremony, or at the reception, the officiant or a friend says a few words about what the lock stands for.
- You close the lock together, around a ring on a wooden board, a small piece of fencing or the handle of a keepsake box.
- You each keep one key, or you seal both keys in an envelope to open on a milestone anniversary.
The same idea works for anniversaries. Add a new small lock each year to the same board, and you'll end up with a little row of locks that tells the story of your marriage, one year at a time. It's a home version of the Pont des Arts, minus the structural engineers.
A worked example
Here's an illustrative example with made-up people. Sam and Priya get engaged on a trip to Paris. They'd love to hang a lock but know the city bans them on its bridges. Instead, they buy a small padlock at home, write their initials and engagement date on it, and snap it onto the handle of the keepsake box that holds their travel photos. They take a selfie on the Pont des Arts at sunset and frame it next to the box. On every anniversary, they open the box, add a new note, and lock it again. Same symbol, same feeling, and nothing for anyone to cut off later.
Love locks in pop culture and everyday life
Love locks have become shorthand for "romantic travel." You'll see them on postcards, in proposal photos, and in songs and films set in Europe. Fashion shoots have used them as a backdrop too. Guinness notes that one well-known brand was criticized for filming campaigns on the Pont des Arts.
They also show up in small-town America. Couples hang locks on fences at scenic overlooks, in parks and on footbridges. Some towns embrace this and create a dedicated spot, while others remove them. The pattern is the same as in the big cities: love locks are welcome when there's a plan for them, and a problem when there isn't.
The bigger lesson is that the urge behind love locks is old and universal. People have always wanted a visible sign that their love is real and lasting. Rings, carved spoons, love knots and initials carved into tree bark all come from the same place. Love locks are simply the version that caught on in the age of cheap travel and phone cameras.
What to write on a love lock (or a keepsake lock)
Whether your lock ends up on an official love-lock wall or on a box at home, the words are what make it yours. A padlock doesn't give you much room, so short and meaningful wins.
Classic formats
- Initials and a date: "J + A, 06.14.2026." Simple, timeless and easy to fit.
- First names with a symbol: "Maya and Leo" with a small drawn heart or infinity sign.
- A place and a date: "Rome, our first trip, 2026." Good for travel memories.
- A one-word promise: "Always," "Forever" or "Together."
Personal touches
- Your pet names for each other. If you call each other "Bug" and "Bear," put that on the lock. It's private, sweet and nobody else will quite get it. Our list of matching nicknames for couples is full of pairs that fit on a small lock.
- A word in the language of the place. On a trip to Paris, "mon coeur" (my heart) is short enough to fit. In Italy, "per sempre" means "forever."
- A blended couple name. Two names mixed into one, like a celebrity "ship" name, look great on a lock.
- An inside joke. The word or phrase that always makes you both laugh.
How to make the writing last
- Clean the lock with rubbing alcohol so the surface is free of oils.
- Use a permanent paint marker rather than a regular marker, which can fade outdoors.
- Let it dry completely before handling.
- For a keepsake that lasts decades, ask a jeweler or engraving shop to engrave it instead.
- If the lock will live indoors, a clear coat of nail polish over the writing adds extra protection.
Locks, keys and other love tokens compared
Love locks belong to a long family of objects that turn a feeling into something you can hold. Seeing them side by side shows what's special about each one, and why some are easier on the world around us.
| Love token | What it symbolizes | Where it lives | Lasting impact on public places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Love lock on a bridge | A bond sealed for good, with the key thrown away | Public bridges and railings | Can add weight, damage and litter |
| Keepsake lock at home | The same sealed bond | Your home | None |
| Lock-and-key necklaces | Each partner holds half of the pair | Worn by the couple | None |
| Wedding or promise ring | A circle with no end | Worn on the hand | None |
| Carved initials in a tree | A love "rooted" in a place | Trees in parks and forests | Can harm the tree; best avoided |
| Love letter | Feelings put into words | A drawer or keepsake box | None |
| A shared nickname | A private language only you two speak | Your everyday conversations | None |
The pattern is clear. The meaning is in the gesture, not the location. A lock at home carries every bit of the symbolism of a lock on the Pont des Arts.
How cities balance romance and preservation
City officials are in a tricky spot. Love locks bring visitors, photos and good feelings. They also bring weight, rust, litter and repair costs. The sources in this article show a few different approaches.
- Remove and replace. Paris cut the locks off and swapped its metal mesh for panels that padlocks can't grip, according to the AP report. That fixes the problem at the source.
- Ban with penalties. Paris later banned love locks from its bridges, Guinness reports, and Venetian campaigners say putting locks on bridges there is against the law.
- Persuade with humor. New York's "Yes love, no locks" signs, including a bagel-and-lox version, try to change behavior with a smile, as CBS New York reported.
- Grassroots campaigns. Groups like No Love Locks in Paris and "Unlock Your Love" in Venice asked visitors to find other ways to show their love.
- Turn old locks into good. Paris's 2017 auction raised money for refugee charities, a creative way to close the chapter.
- Celebrate the original. In Vrnjačka Banja, the Bridge of Love is a proud local landmark, and the legend is part of how the town presents itself to visitors.
For couples, the takeaway is to follow local guidance. Where a city has said no, respect it. Where a town welcomes locks, enjoy the tradition. And wherever you are, take your key home.
Should you add a love lock? Questions to ask first
If you're thinking about hanging a lock, a quick checklist helps you decide.
- Is it allowed here? Look for signs, or check the city's website or tourist office.
- Is the structure historic or fragile? Old bridges are the most at risk. Leave those alone.
- Is there an official spot? If yes, use it.
- Where will the key go? Skip tossing it into the water. Keep it, or give it to your partner as a keepsake.
- Would a photo or home version mean just as much? For most couples, it does.
Planning a romantic trip or a special date? Our Valentine's Day ideas and ways to make your partner feel special have more ideas that don't need a padlock. And if you're heading to Paris or Rome, learn a few sweet words first with our guides to French pet names and Italian pet names.
Wrapping up
Love locks started as a heartbreak story on a small Serbian bridge, were revived by a poet, and went global after an Italian love story put a padlock on a Roman bridge. They became so popular that Paris had to remove over a million of them, and cities from Venice to New York now ask couples to find other ways to say "forever." The feeling behind them is lovely. The best way to honor it today is with a lock you keep, a photo you frame, or a promise you keep without any metal at all.
If you want a name that seals the deal, try our free nickname generator. Pick who it's for and a vibe, from cute and sweet to romantic or unique, and it suggests names with a short note on why each one works. You can save favorites to a shortlist and blend your two names together with the Couple Name Mixer.
City Approaches to Love Locks Compared
This table lines up the different ways cities have dealt with love locks, with an example for each.
| Approach | Example | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Remove and replace | Paris | Cut the locks off and swapped the metal mesh for panels that padlocks can't grip |
| Ban with penalties | Paris, Venice | Paris later banned love locks from its bridges |
| Persuade with humor | New York | "Yes love, no locks" signs, including a bagel-and-lox version, try to change behavior with a smile |
| Grassroots campaigns | No Love Locks in Paris; "Unlock Your Love" in Venice | Asked visitors to find other ways to show their love |
| Turn old locks into good | Paris, 2017 auction | Raised money for refugee charities |
| Celebrate the original | Vrnjačka Banja | The Bridge of Love is a proud local landmark and part of how the town presents itself |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the meaning of a love lock?
A love lock is a padlock that a couple writes their names or initials on and fastens to a bridge, fence or railing. Locking it symbolizes that their love is sealed and secure, and throwing away the key suggests the bond can never be undone. Bridges are a popular choice because they join two sides, which mirrors two people coming together. The custom is a modern take on older love tokens like rings, carved lovespoons and love knots.
Where did the love lock tradition start?
The most common origin story comes from Vrnjačka Banja, a spa town in Serbia. According to the town's tourist organization, a schoolmistress named Nada was engaged to an officer named Relja at the start of World War I. He fell for someone else while fighting in Greece and never returned, and Nada died of sorrow. Local women then began fixing padlocks with their names to the bridge where the couple had met. A poem by Desanka Maksimović later revived the story.
Why did Paris remove the love locks?
The weight became dangerous. On June 8, 2014, a 2.4-meter section of railing on the Pont des Arts collapsed under the locks. Paris began removing them on June 1, 2015, and Guinness World Records counts over one million locks weighing 45 tonnes taken from the Pont des Arts and the nearby Pont de l'Archevêché. Officials also said the locks were causing long-term damage to historic sites. The metal mesh was replaced with panels that padlocks can't grip.
Are love locks illegal?
It depends on where you are, and rules vary by place. Paris banned love locks from its bridges after a year of debate, campaigners in Venice point out that putting locks on Venetian bridges is against the law, and New York City has discouraged them on the Brooklyn Bridge with signs reading Yes love, no locks. Many other cities simply cut them off during maintenance. Before adding a lock anywhere, check local signs or ask the tourist office.
What happened to the love locks removed from Paris?
Some of them went to a good cause. In May 2017, the city auctioned removed locks at the Crédit Municipal de Paris. NPR reported that nearly 200 lots were offered, from small bunches of locks to whole fence sections, some weighing more than 1,000 pounds. The proceeds went to three charities that help refugees: Emmaus Solidarity, the Salvation Army and Solipam. Many couples liked knowing their locks ended up helping people in need.
What book or movie made love locks popular?
Italian author Federico Moccia's love stories get much of the credit. His novel Ho voglia di te, published in 2006, was made into a hit film in 2007. In one scene, the hero locks a padlock onto a bridge in Rome, kisses the key and throws it into the Tiber River. Fans copied the scene, especially on the Ponte Milvio, and the custom spread across Europe and around the world from there.
Why do people throw the key into the river?
Throwing away the key is meant to show that the lock, and the love it stands for, can never be opened or undone. It's the forever part of the ritual. The downside is that all those keys end up as litter on riverbeds and in lagoons. Campaigners in Venice, for example, have stressed the need to protect the lagoon's delicate balance. A kinder option is to keep the key as a keepsake or give it to your partner.
How heavy were the love locks on the Pont des Arts?
Very heavy. Guinness World Records says the locks removed in June 2015 weighed 45 tonnes in total, including those from the neighboring Pont de l'Archevêché. Since a metric ton is about 2,205 pounds, that's roughly 99,000 pounds. Before the removal, the local mayor wrote that the locks added up to 10 tonnes to the bridge itself. Guinness compared the weight of around a million locks to about 20 adult elephants.
What can I do instead of putting a love lock on a bridge?
There are lots of sweet alternatives. You can lock a padlock with your initials at home, on a keepsake box or a piece of wall art. You can look for an official love-lock sculpture or wall where locks are welcome. A photo of the two of you on the bridge, framed at home, keeps the memory without the weight. Matching lock-and-key keychains, a sealed anniversary letter, or a tree you plant together carry the same meaning too.
Sources
We checked every source below while writing this guide. Last reviewed October 30, 2026, by Joan Ramos.
- Most love-locks removed from a bridge (Guinness World Records)
- How a Paris bridge nearly collapsed under 45 tonnes of love (Guinness World Records)
- Tourist attractions: Bridge of Love (Most ljubavi) (Tourist Organization of Vrnjačka Banja)
- From ancient China to an Italian chick flick: the story behind Venice's love lock burden (Catherine Kovesi, 2014) (University of Melbourne)
- Thousands of Lovers' Locks Collapsed Part of an Overloaded Bridge in Paris (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Why Paris is removing the 'love locks' from Pont des Arts bridge (Associated Press, June 1, 2015) (The Christian Science Monitor)
- Love For Sale: Famed 'Love Locks' Of Paris Bridges To Be Sold At Auction (Bill Chappell, NPR, May 3, 2017) (NPR via New Hampshire Public Radio)
- NYC Officials Say 'Yes Love, No Locks' On Brooklyn Bridge (October 7, 2016) (CBS New York)
