Paris is the number one destination for romanticists around the globe. There is something about the city that isn’t normal. It’s as if the centuries of love and romance has filled the air permanently and protects it from getting destroyed by the elements of war and hate. The landmarks of Paris like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Notre Dame and Pantheon have withstood centuries of anarchy, World Wars and even half a decade of Nazi occupation.
One of the relatively newer landmarks of love and romance has been the Pont des Arts bridge where lovers go and give a symbolic meaning to their love with the help of locks. Then they toss the keys into the river below. Since there are a lot of passionate people in Paris, hundreds of thousands of locks have been collected over time. It is a great site to go and see all the incredible locks of all sizes and shapes in place there. But, due to the sheer weight of locks being placed there every year, the city administration had to take desperate steps to reduce the number of locks and discouraging tourists to place more. They have tried to impose several alternatives there instead of placing locks.
The local people despise the tourists leaving the “ugly” locks behind. The city administration wanted most of the locks removed, and only a small number of them present at one end would be there for them to take selfies there. Eventually, the bridge was cleared of all locks, and this is how it looks like nowadays.
The locks, just like their lovers were torn apart due to society and pressure! Hopefully, some of the space will be restored for locks again. The place isn’t historically important because of these metal bonds, but Paris, a city of romance needs it to retain its place.