A sale of love locks from Paris’ Pont des Arts on May 13 realised $274,122 for refugee charities.
The locks were cut from Paris' Pont des Arts
Buyers had the chance to purchase small bunches of locks, mounted on displays, as well as complete sections of the barriers.
The former sold for several hundred dollars, while the barriers realised tens of thousands apiece.
Bruno Juiliard, who organised the sale at the Credit Municipal de Paris, told Connexion France: “I expected three times less.
“It is beautiful…that declarations of love can be transformed into an act of kindness and humanity towards refugees.”
People have been attaching padlocks to bridges as a romantic gesture for around 100 years.
The practice is said to have originated in a small town in Serbia in the early 1900s.
It took a while to spread beyond the country’s borders, with the craze really taking off in the early 2000s.
Having long held the title of the world’s most romantic city, Paris was a particular hotspot.
Most tourists gravitated to the Pont des Arts, one of the main pedestrian bridges spanning the Seinne, covering the bridge’s barriers with locks.
Officials were forced to take action after part of the bridge collapsed under the weight in 2014. They removed the railings and replaced them with Perspex.
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