[www.keralites.net] Paris breaks a hundred thousand hearts: French capital starts to remove tons of padlocks

 

Paris breaks a hundred thousand hearts: French capital starts to remove tons of padlocks
 

 

They have become a symbol of ever lasting love for romantic couples on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris. 

But lovers will no longer be able to leave a padlock on the bridge over The Seine as a romantic token after today when the council began tearing down the mementos.

City workmen, armed with bolt cutters, began unceremoniously cutting open the 'love locks' over fears that the sheer weight of the padlocks was putting the 19th century structure at risk.

The Locks of Love that couples hang on bridges or public facilities to symbolize their love have been removed by Paris council workers

Each of the padlocks were added by a couple or a romantic and is signed with their named and attached to the railings or street lights

Workmen arrived on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris early this morning armed with power tools and trucks to remove the 700,000 estimated padlocks

Hundreds of thousands of the padlocks have been removed from the structure and dumped in the back of a truck

City workmen, armed with bolt cutters and power tools, began unceremoniously cutting open the 'love locks' today

The move comes over fears that the sheer weight of the padlocks was putting the 19th century structure at risk

The council's initiative was in response to a 'No Love Locks' campaign on Facebook by Parisians and ex-pats tired of the practice which they claimed was an 'eyesore'

 

Each of the padlocks were added by a couple or a romantic and is signed with their named and attached to the railings or street lights

Last summer, one of the metal grilles fell into the river after the metal failed under the additional weight of the locks

Passersby snap the truck full of locks as more than 700,000 are removed from the bridge - weighing as much as 20 elephants

Instead of metal grilles, the panels will be replaced by 'padlock-proof' plexiglass in an effort to thwart loving couples

Empty: People cross the mostly lock-free famed Pont des Arts bridge in Paris after city authorities took down thousands of padlocks

Employees from Paris City Hall have now permanently removed the love padlocks leaving the railings on the bridge bare
 

Paris Deputy Mayor Bruno Julliard told Le Parisien: 'Paris is the capital of love, we are all very proud of that, but there are more beautiful ways of showing that love than by putting padlocks on a bridge.'

He said the locks are a costly hazard because they are damaging the city's bridges and jeopardising visitors' safety due to the added weight.

In June last year, part of Pont des Arts' railing collapsed under the weight of the locks, forcing police to close the iconic structure while repairs were made.

It is estimated there were over 700,000 padlocks attached to the bridge, built in the 1800s under Napoleon, with each grill weighing 500kg. 

Yellow-vested officials were out early Monday morning on the city's iconic Pont des Arts, wielding cutting equipment to free the padlocks while a handful of curious tourists looked on

The accumulation of 'love locks', a popular phenomenon in many European cities, where couples attach a lock to symbolize their love

Paris, known worldwide as the city of romance, on Monday began the heart-breaking process of removing nearly one million love-locks, padlocks chained to the city's bridges by love-struck couples

The railings, which are weighted down with locks, are being replaced by padlock- proofed plexi-glass panels

Locals had complained the padlocks were damaging the bridge and attracting graffiti and pick pockets 

City municipal employees lower iron grills covered with 'love locks' into a truck after they were removed from the Pont des Arts in Paris
 

 

It is estimated there were over 700,000 padlocks attached to the bridge, built in the 1800s under Napoleon, with each grill weighing 500kg

Pont des arts had become a tourist attraction in its own right with visitors arriving to snap pictures with the locks or add their own

Couples clip the signed locks all the way down the bridge across from the Eiffel Tower as a sign of their everlasting love

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