Love padlocks in Pécs

Love padlocks are a custom by which sweethearts affix padlocks to a fence or similar public fixture to symbolise their love. Padlocks are portable locks used to protect against Theft, Vandalism, Sabotage, Espionage, unauthorized use and harm

Pécs, Hungary

Beginning in the 1980s, in the centre of the southern Hungarian city of Pécs, lovers began to clamp padlocks to a wrought-iron fence in a narrow street linking the mosque in the city's main square and the magnificent medieval cathedral, as a symbol of their commitment to one another. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Pécs, (IPA, approximate pronunciation Pitch known by alternative names) is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located in the south-west of the country close However, after the fence was completely covered and no more padlocks could be added, couples, both locals and tourists, began attaching them to fences and statues throughout the town centre.

Local authorities organised several attempts to discourage people from attaching the padlocks, by putting notices discouraging the activity throughout the town and removing the padlocks as vandalism. Vandalism is the behaviour attributed to the Vandals in respect of Culture: ruthless Destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or Venerable More recently, plans have been made to add a new iron fence near to the original to provide a legal site for couples to attach love padlocks, similar to walls set aside by authorities in some cities for use by graffiti artists. Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property

Miskolc, Hungary

Padlocks attached to a bridge at Szinva Terrace, Miskolc

Probably encouraged by the example of Pécs, lovers have started to fasten padlocks on the fence of the bridge at Szinva Terrace in Miskolc, a city in the northern part of the country. The Szinva Terrace ( Hungarian: Szinva terasz) is the newest public square in downtown Miskolc, Hungary, next to the stream Szinva Miskolc (miʃkolts approximate pronunciation "Me-shkolts" in Slovak Miškovec, in Polish Miszkolc) is a city in North-East

Riga, Latvia

Similar customs exist in Riga, the capital of Latvia, where married couples clamp padlocks on the railings of a bridge and throw the key into the lake below. Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava. Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. The practice has also gained sudden popularity in Tokyo, Japan among young couples, and padlocks are appearing all over the city, especially around teen hang outs. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

Florence, Italy

In Florence, Italy, love padlocks have been affixed to the railing around and near the statue of Benvenuto Cellini located at the centre of the Ponte Vecchio. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Benvenuto Cellini History and construction The bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point where it is believed that a bridge was first built in Roman times when the Via Cassia

Guam, USA

Love padlocks can be seen in Guam's "Two Lovers' Point" (Puntan dos Amantes). Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated Couples would usually affix the lock to the metal barrier on the viewing deck overlooking the ocean, usually with their names on it or even important dates. A variation of this is the use of plastic bag tags that are sometimes purchased at the nearby souveneir shop when a conventional padlock is unavailable.

External links

• Article about the Pécs site, with photo

• (Hungarian)Pécs city guide with photos
• Riga, photo
• Italy Magazine, Florence tries to stamp out "locks of love"

References

• "World News Quick Take, Taipei Times, August 17, 2003. The Taipei Times is one of the three major English -language Newspapers in the Republic of China ( Taiwan) the other two being the Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.