Love Locks on Pont Des Arts Bridge in Paris being taken down [Video]

Love Locks on Pont Des Arts Bridge started to show up around five years ago as a way for people to show their long lasting affection for their significant other by locking a padlock on the wire mesh and throwing the key into the river below.

This was a way to be romantic in “the capital of love, the city of romance.” However, as of yesterday, lovers in Paris will have to find a new way to prove their love to each other. Bruno Julliard, the deputy mayor in charge of culture, was in charge of the removal of the locks and is trying to be sentimental about the task.

Although this is upsetting to the people who had locks on the bridge or even in hopes of being able to pay a visit to the historic bridge to put a lock on it, there is good reason for removing the wire mesh containing all the locks.

There was a constant risk of parts of the bridge falling onto boats passing beneath the bridge. For now, the wire mesh will be replaced with panels painted by street artists, and then to ultimately be replaced with plexiglass in order for bridge-goers to see the river below.

As far as what will happen to the batches of locks, there are many things being brainstormed, such as some being melted down and recycled, and some being recycled as works of art and given to charities. As of right now though, the locks will be kept in a city warehouse until further notice, and there is also no plans as of yet to remove the 700,000 plus keys at the bottom of the river.

Well for those of you who are hopeless romantics, it is time to get creative and think of new ways to show your affection to your significant other.