Paris: Say au revoir to the love locks on Pont des Arts
Paris has finally resolved the padlock issue on one of its most iconic bridges. After several years of couples attaching their “love locks” to the Pont des Arts near the Louvre, City Hall has taken action to remove the metallic symbols of love.
Today, deputy mayor Bruno Julliard announced that glass panels will replace the grills that are currently weighed down by hundreds of thousands of padlocks. The mayor’s office experimented with the transparent panels last April while encouraging tourists to express their love with a selfie instead of the locks.
The bridge, the first to be entirely cleaned of the locks, will be closed in early June while the love locks are removed. “At the beginning it was a fun and marginal trend but now it has become unacceptable,” he said on the bridge on June 1, 2015, citing safety and aesthetic concerns.
Julliard insisted, however that Paris will remain a romantic capital. “We want Paris to stay a city of love, but it can stay that way without love locks.”
The locks added hundreds of thousands of pounds to the bridge’s weight. Photo: Bryan Pirolli
Other cities locked up
The love locks had become a thorn in the side of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has been vocal about addressing the problem. As in many other cities, couples lock their padlocks to bridges and monuments, symbolizing their union. Recently, cities like Melbourne and New York have removed locks from their bridges, and now Paris will join them.
Julliard hopes that the stance will help other cities fight against destruction of cultural sites, like the Americans who recently carved their initials into Rome’s Coliseum or the student who destroyed a statue in Milan while taking a selfie. “This is not just a trend in Paris. Other cities will thank us and find ways to let people show their love and respect heritage sites,” he said.
Paris fights back
While many find the recent tradition romantic, many Parisians have spoken out against the locks, especially as the added weight began to damage the 19th century Pont des Arts across the Seine River. At the end of May, graffiti-covered wooden panels have been placed over detaching fences along the bridge.
Graffiti panels were added to the bridge months ago but that didn’t stop the influx of more locks. Photo: Bryan Pirolli
The decision to renovate the bridge is hailed as a success, notably by those behind the “No Love Locks” campaign. Lisa Anselmo and Lisa Taylor Huff, US natives who launched the campaign, are ecstatic that City Hall is taking concrete action.
“One person’s message of love should never come at the expense of someone else’s heritage,” Anselmo said. She is hoping to help educate travelers about responsible tourism, because, as she put it, “It’s everybody’s business to care about world heritage.”
She said that love locks are a symptom of a bigger problem. “Do we really think we can just go to somebody else’s country and just vandalize a heritage site and then be up in arms when they move to protect their own landmarks?” she said.
Taking one last look at the love locks on Pont des Arts. Photo: Bryan Pirolli
Many curious tourists flocked to the bridge on Sunday to catch a final glimpse of the Pont des Arts with its locks.
Emma and Craig Morehouse came to put one of the last love locks on the bridge. “We put it on, but knew it’d be cut,” Emma said. “I can see why they are cutting them off, but I guess it won’t be here for our kids to see,” Craig said.
Sarah Dobson from New Zealand was not entirely for the lock cutting, though understands the concerns. “I like the concept but the reality is different. I’m glad I got to see it,” she said. Meanwhile her travel companion, Emma Jane, supports the decision. “They think they’re doing something meaningful and romantic but they aren’t thinking of the consequences,” she said.
Julliard explained that temporary panels designed by four international street artists will be placed on the bridge through the autumn, when the glass panels will all be installed. The Pont de l’Archevêché, behind Notre Dame, will also receive new glass panels as its locks are removed.
Pont des Arts on June 1, 2015 after all of the locks have been removed. Photo: Bryan Pirolli
As for the over 100,000 pounds of discarded metal Julliard said that some will be recycled, while artists have proposed using portions for various projects. In the meantime the cut locks will be stockpiled in a warehouse.
And as for other monuments and bridges popular among couples, the deputy mayor said he will continue working on the problem, removing locks as they are added as well as stopping vendors from selling locks in Paris’s tourist boutiques.
Anselmo is excited about City Hall’s commitment to preserving its cultural heritage sites and is hopeful. “Paris has paved the way as a leader,” she said, “a world class city putting down the law and saying no, you can’t come here and vandalize our heritage.”
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