Did you know that on the Auburn side of the Androscoggin River’s Great Falls is a fence of padlocks? Do you know what those padlocks signify?
There are many sources of information on the internet, and most are very interesting. I visited Love Locks Online https://lovelocksonline.com/history/ and learned:
Love padlocks (also known as Love Locks) are a custom by which padlocks are affixed to a fence, gate, bridge or similar public fixture by sweethearts to symbolize their everlasting love. Love padlocks have existed for quite some time, though there are no certain sources for their origin. In Europe, love padlocks started appearing in the early 2000s. The reasons love padlocks started to appear vary between locations, and in many instances are unsourced.
You can do a Google search for “love locks” and will come up with thousands of results. I browsed several pages in the results and learned that there was a French bridge fence that collapsed under the weight of 16,000 pounds of padlocks! Can you imagine? The bridge was repaired without the type of fence that padlocks can be locked on.
I also read that some of the more heavily padlocked fences are popular with newly married couples and others who pose in front of the padlocks. So now you can take a walk on the Riverwalk and see our local love locks! Let me know if you do! It’s kind of cool.
