Padlocks on the Pont des Arts. Photos: Brooke Rosenblatt
The museum’s recent School of Paris installation and our upcoming Art and Romance Soirée got me nostalgic for a place in Paris. The location: the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge that connects the Louvre to the Institut de France (where the Academy of Fine Arts is housed). The logic: the love padlocks.
If you haven’t seen one of these bridges in person, it’s quite a sight. Couples from around the world visit the bridge, attach padlocks with their initials and throw the keys to the locks into the Seine. Have a look at some my recent pictures above.
Though I love this place, I have heard some people just find it (and other padlock bridges) ugly! Additionally, the weight from the padlocks causes damage to the bridge. According to this article on the history of the phenomenon, one grate can have up to 330 pounds of padlocks on them! And this pic from TripAdvisor gives you a firsthand look at what all that weight can do!