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City battles lovers` padlocks
Budapest, Aug 17: The Hungarian city of Pecs is fighting a losing battle against padlocks which lovers are secretly clamping on statues and gates all over the city centre as symbols of their enduring affection.
Budapest, Aug 17: The Hungarian city of Pecs is fighting a losing battle against padlocks which lovers are secretly clamping on statues and gates all over the city centre as symbols of their enduring affection.
The curious tradition dates back to the early 1980s when lovers began fixing single padlocks, without any markings, on a wrought iron fence in the heart of Pecs, which has a magnificent cathedral and ancient Christian tombs.
With no room now left on the fence, couples, both locals and tourists, are fastening their love tokens on anything that will hold a padlock, including statues.
The city management firm first tried removing the padlocks, then launched a campaign to discourage the practice, and now, in a final act of desperation, plans to erect an new iron fence exclusively for love padlocks, reported a news agency.
But the fence is not likely to work. "This would kill the essence of the padlocking habit, its spontaneity and people's feeling that they are secretly leaving their mark," said art historian Ferenc Romvary.
Bureau Report
With no room now left on the fence, couples, both locals and tourists, are fastening their love tokens on anything that will hold a padlock, including statues.
The city management firm first tried removing the padlocks, then launched a campaign to discourage the practice, and now, in a final act of desperation, plans to erect an new iron fence exclusively for love padlocks, reported a news agency.
But the fence is not likely to work. "This would kill the essence of the padlocking habit, its spontaneity and people's feeling that they are secretly leaving their mark," said art historian Ferenc Romvary.
Bureau Report