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Love Don’t Cost a Thing? Tell That to the Auctioneer of Paris’ ‘Love Locks’

Paris is known as the city of love and some lovebirds come to the French capital to proclaim their undying affection. One of the ways to express your love was to lock a padlock inscribed with the initials of both lovers onto the Pont des Arts near the Louvre, but, alas, that romantic tradition will no longer be available to lovers walking through the Parisian canals. The world's first ever auction of the so-called Paris 'love locks' commenced on Tuesday. Over time, the extreme weight of the thousands of padlocks caused a parapet on the bridge to collapse in 2015, forcing the city to remove the locks and replace the metals railings with acryllic glass panels Fifteen sections of the original Pont des Arts railings mounted on wood will be auctioned by Credit Municipal de Paris, with the longest section stretching nearly 10 and a half feet. Funds raised by the auction house will be donated to the charities Solipam, the Salvation Army and Emmaus Solidarite.