Hundreds of love locks attached to the Tumski Bridge in Wroclaw, southern Poland were removed on Monday (July 15) as the bridge undergoes renovation works.
Brandishing bolt cutters, workers from the city's Road Management and Maintenance department cut through the rows of padlocks hanging on the bridge's railings - some of which have been hanging there for about a decade.
Ewa Mazur, a representative from Wrocław's Road Management and Maintenance department, estimated that the padlocks attached to the railings weighed up to five tonnes (5000 kilograms).
The pedestrian bridge has become a shrine for amorous tourists and city locals alike, who seek to immortalise their love by leaving an initialled padlock attached to its metallic grid railings. Lovestruck couples attach locks on the bridge before tossing the keys into the Oder River below.
The locks, some adorned with messages of love, will be stored at the building of Road Management and Maintenance of the City of Wrocław, where those who forgot to remove their padlocks will be able to claim them.
Only couples whose love stands the test of time will be allowed to re-hang their love locks after the renovation work is complete as there will be a ten year ban on hanging padlocks on the steel elements of the bridge.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24 Wrocław