The history of the love locks
Those who have been to Paris will most likely have been smiled at by thousands of glittering love locks that reflect the radiant love captured within them. Although this tradition is entrusted to the "city of love", its origins lie in a small town in Serbia.
The year is 1914. It is only a matter of time until World War I is unleashed when Nada, a beautiful woman from Vrnjačka Banja, looks into the blue eyes of Serbian officer Relja for the first time. They fall in love instantly and cherish every moment until the inevitable happens. Relja is called up to defend his country in the war against Greece.
Seconds before they are forced to say goodbye, they promise each other the future and get engaged. Nada watches as Relja walks into the war via the 'Most Ljubavi' Bridge, literally translated as 'Love Bridge' and the place where they met so many times.
As the time passes…
Nada waits. Not a day goes by that she doesn't think about her Relja. She dreams about their future, looks forward to his return and writes endless love letters.
Unfortunately, all letters go unanswered.
Doomsday scenarios roam through Nada's head of Relja lying on the battlefield. Died in the fight for his homeland, with just enough air to pronounce her name fondly and longingly during his last breath of life.
An inconsolable ending
Nothing could be further from the truth. After some time, the news reached that not Relja's life had ended, but his love for Nada. Relja had fallen for the charms of a woman on the Greek island of Corfu and would never return to Serbia and to Nada. Nada was inconsolable. The women in the village saw her slowly becoming a shadow of herself. Her broken heart was not able to heal and she eventually jumped off the Love Bridge.
Fearing that a similar fate would tempt them, the women hung locks on the bridge and threw the key into the river to immortalize their relationships. Since then, all soldiers would return faithfully to their fiancées.
The weight of love
You can now find bridges, walls and monuments decorated with love locks all over the world. In Firenze, Moscow and the love bridge "Most Ljubavi” in Serbia you will find locks in all shapes and sizes, but the most famous bridge is the Pont des Arts in Paris.
You may wonder if it was love that weighed so heavily, but with more than 1 million locks totaling 45 tons, part of the bridge collapsed in 2014. An important reason to move the locks and thereby make the Parisians happy: they found the street scene clouded by the multitude of love immortals.
Still, I hope that while it's certainly a romantic moment to immortalize your love with a never-to-be-opened lock, the real reason for being together forever is true love.
At Pillows Hotels it is not possible to immortalize love with a love lock, but we can pamper you with our special Valentine's packages. Enjoy elegant hotel rooms, delicious dinners and unique Valentine's Day specials.
