Bridges of Paris (Paris, France). Bridges of Paris. History, description and photos The most famous bridge in Paris
Paris, the world capital of fashion, fragrance, wine, the most delicious pastries and cheeses, was founded on the Seine River. From time immemorial, bridges have been built across the Seine. At first they were wooden, later stone, and even built up with buildings (commercial and residential). The development of the city is inextricably linked with bridges, of which there are about 38 today.
Initially, it was a wooden structure that arose in the 9th century as a crossing for the central part of Paris. Later, in the 17th century, the bridge (viaduct) was replaced with a stone one. Characteristic feature This structure contained about 140 residential buildings and over 100 shops of traders and money changers, for which the bridge received its name. This viaduct is very well described in the work of P. Suskind “Perfume”. 
This is one of the oldest architectural monuments of the city, which was founded in the 16th century by King Henry III. The main purpose of this structure was to relieve congestion on the Bridge of Changes and Notre Dame. This viaduct is considered a unique symbol of the decline of the Middle Ages, and no additional buildings are provided on it. 
This crossing is also quite ancient. The project of the wooden building was developed in 1605 by the architect Christophe Marie. Later the bridge was named after him. But as a result of the flood of 1658, the crossing was practically destroyed; it was rebuilt from stone and this building has survived to this day. 
Royal Bridge (Royal)
One of the three oldest bridges in the city. The construction of the crossing took place from 1685 to 1689 under the patronage of King Louis XIV.
When, at the beginning of the 19th century, wooden and stone bridges were recognized as unsanitary, dangerous to human life and unaesthetic, the first iron bridge was built by order of Napoleon. This crossing connected the French Academy and the Louvre Museum ( former Palace Arts), hence its name. is pedestrian: from here you can enjoy the beauty of the city, as well as relax on a bench, or have a snack in a small snack bar. And couples in love also consider it the most romantic place in Paris, so they come here to install locks as a symbol of their love. 
This structure is considered very symbolic: it was built from the remains of the stone Bastille. At first the bridge was named Revolution, but was later renamed in honor of one of the city squares. Today it is one of the most frequently used crossings in Paris. 
The Bercy crossing was originally built in 1832. At that time it was located outside the city limits, and crossing it was subject to tax. In 1864, a new bridge was erected, which largely repeated the design of the old one, but was larger in size and reinforced with supports and fastenings. 
In the original, the crossing was called Solferino and was built in honor of the victory of the allied forces of France and Italy over Austria. The bridge was opened in 1861 by Emperor Napoleon III. But over time, the building collapsed, and a new viaduct was erected in its place, which was named after the first president of Senegal. 
This is another symbolic building of Paris. It coincided with the victory of the French and their allies over Russia in the Battle of the Alma River (Crimean War). The bridge is also known tragic event: Princess Diana died in a car accident in the tunnel below. The “Flame of Freedom” torch is located there, which since that sad moment has become a kind of memorial to the princess and a place of pilgrimage for many of her fans. 
This pedestrian bridge, built in 2006, connects the 12th and 13th arrondissements of Paris. This crossing is considered brilliant technical structure because it is shaped like an eye. 
This crossing, thanks to its openwork metal structures, has a very elegant shape. Three arches are harmoniously connected to each other, and they are decorated with 4 statues cast in bronze (one of them symbolizes Paris, the second - Navigation, the third - Commerce, and the fourth - Abundance). The poet Guillaume Apollinaire dedicated one of his works to this bridge. 
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One of the most beautiful and romantic European cities, Paris, can safely be called the city of bridges. After all, here there are no more or less of them, but as many as 37. And if not for them, the Seine River, dividing Paris into 2 parts, would become a serious obstacle not only for tourists, but also for the Parisians themselves. The bridges were built in different eras, which accordingly affected their appearance. It is difficult to find a bridge in Paris that is similar to another. And each bridge certainly has its own story, amazing and unique... I’ll tell you about some of them:
1. The famous Parisian bridge - New bridge". Oddly enough, (Pont Neuf) is one of the oldest bridges in Paris. The new bridge crosses the arrow of the Ile de la Cité and consists of two parts, where one axis is not an exact continuation of the other. South part The bridge has 5 spans, the northern one - 7. Its construction began under Henry III in 1578, and ended under Henry IV in 1606. In its middle part, the New Bridge rests on two islands, European and Patriarchal, where a square with an equestrian monument to Henry IV was built somewhat later. Unlike other bridges of that time, the New Bridge was not built with houses and had sidewalks for pedestrians. For many decades, the Pont Neuf was one of the busiest places in Paris: on both sides there were temporary shops and booths that disappeared only in the 19th century. But still Pont Neuf favorite place meetings and walks of Parisians and guests of the capital. This is the most romantic bridge in Paris, connecting the right and left banks of the Seine with western part Islands of Cite. 
2. The Pont au Change Bridge, built in the 9th century under King Charles the Bald, connects the right bank of the Seine with the Ile de la Cité. In medieval times, this bridge was chosen by numerous shopkeepers and money changers. It was the main financial artery of the French capital. The bridge was so densely packed with rows of shops that it rather resembled swap meet, and the Parisians walking along it simply did not see the river. At the end of the 18th century, shops and houses were demolished. The bridge acquired its current appearance during the Second Empire and has not changed since then. 
3. Bridge Saint-Michel (Pont St.Michael), built under Napoleon III. It is decorated with the emperor's monogram. From the bridge begins Boulevard Saint-Michel, leading to the Latin Quarter.
4. Notre-Dame Bridge
In 52 BC. The Romans came to these lands. Locals, defending themselves from the enemy, they destroyed the access routes to the island - they burned the bridges. However, this measure had a short-term effect, and the city was soon conquered. Active construction began on the Cite, during which the Petit Bridge was reborn from wood, and Notre Dame from stone. The next important stage in the life of the bridges came in 886, after the siege of the city by the Normans. Petit Pont was demolished by the waters of the overflowing Seine, and it was rebuilt, and Notre Dame, damaged during the hostilities, was replaced with a new Pont au Change, built downstream. The last time it was reconstructed was in the 19th century. Nowadays, rollerbladers love it. And an army of caricaturists, cartoonists and simply artists are waiting for numerous tourists rushing to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral on the bridge. 
5. Pedestrian bridge O Double (Pont au Double) 
6. Pont des Arts was the first railway bridge over the Seine, built in 1802. It connects the buildings of the French Academy with the Louvre, and is very popular among tourists. Pont des Arts was captured by many famous French artists, including Auguste Renoir and Nicolas de Staël. Pont des Arts is for pedestrians only. No one bothers tourists there. Therefore, many, having spread a newspaper, simply settle down to have a snack right on the bridge. 
7. The two-level bridge Bir-Hakeim (Pont de Bir-Hakeim) is quite unusual. There is a metro along it (the upper level is reserved for trains), and cars pass through, and people pass by. It was built in 1949 according to the design of G. Eiffel, and the Bir Akeim Bridge was named after the place in Libya where a battle took place between French and German troops in 1942. On the eastern side of the bridge is Wederkinch's sculptural work "Rising France". From the Bir-Akeim Bridge, Swan (or Swan) Island begins, stretching in a narrow strip along the Seine. The bridge offers a beautiful view of Swan Alley. 
8. The Tournelle Bridge (Pont de la Tournelle) connects the island of Saint-Louis with the left bank of the Seine. It was built in 1651 on the site of the wooden King's Bridge, which had stood here since 1370. The bridge is crowned with a statue of Saint Genevieve, who saved Paris from the Huns. 
9. Austerlitz Bridge (Pont d'Austerlitz) The length of the bridge, located between Place Maza and the Austerlitz and Saint-Bernard embankments, is 200 m, width - 32 m. It was opened on March 5, 1807 and named in honor of the victory won by the army of Napoleon I over Russian and Austrian troops on December 2, 1805, near the village of Austerlitz. The names of the French military leaders killed in the Battle of Austerlitz are engraved on the ornaments decorating the bridge. In 1815, at the request of the Allies who occupied Paris, the bridge was renamed the Royal (Jardin du Roi) ), but this name was not accepted by the Parisians.In 1830, the bridge officially received its original name again. 
10. The remarkable Sully Bridge. In the Russian tradition of abbreviating doubled consonants, it is sometimes called the Suli bridge. In the original language the name sounds like Le pont de Sully. The Sully Bridge in Paris connects the Ile Saint-Louis or the Ile Saint-Louis with both banks of the Seine River. The design received its name in honor of Duke Sully, who was the head of the French government under Henry IV. If you walk from the Boulevard Saint-Germain over the bridge and then follow the Boulevard Henri IV, you end up at the Place de la Bastille. The photo shows one of the parts of the bridge. 
11. I couldn’t find the name of the metro bridge. 
12. Bercy Bridge. It was built between 1831 and 1832, during the reign of Louis Philippe. Since its existence, this bridge, 175 m long and 40 m wide, has undergone many reconstructions and changes. As planned, the bridge was supposed to become a kind of entrance and exit from the city itself. But due to the fact that Paris was constantly growing, as a result it became a connecting link between the left and right banks of the city. In 1992, thanks to the architectural mastery of Christian Langlois, the Bercy Bridge was extended by three additional lanes and now carries the 6th metro line. 
13. Tolbiac Bridge (Pont de Tolbiac). 
14. Pont Alexandre III, perhaps the most impressive and elegant in Paris, leads from the Champs-Elysees on the Right Bank to the Invalides on the left. The decoration of this structure, containing figures of pegasuses, angels and nymphs, is made in a playful and at the same time noble eclectic Beaux-Arts style, combining the best traditions of the French Baroque and Italian Renaissance. The luxurious Pont Alexandre III, named after the Russian emperor, was founded by Nicholas II in 1896 in honor of the Franco-Russian alliance and was opened on the eve of the World's Fair 1900. 
15.
Paris began with the islands of Cité and Saint Louis, and it was here that the first bridges in Paris were built. Each Parisian bridge is unique and distinctive and has its own history. It is especially interesting to admire the Parisian bridges in dark time a day on a tour boat (or on your own yacht, if you have one). There are 36 bridges in Paris. I suggest we get to know some of them better. We will move from Grand Palace(Grand Palais) towards the Ile de la Cité, towards the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris along the bank where the Louvre stands.
The first on our way will be. This is the most elegant bridge known to Russian tourists, because it bears the name of our Tsar Alexander III. The history of this bridge is very interesting and deserves a separate discussion. So let's move on.
If you stand on the Pont Alexandre III with your back to the Ile de la Cité, you will see a bridge in front of you called the Pont des Invalides. Initially, in 1820, they were going to build a suspension bridge at this place, but something went wrong and construction was suspended. A few years later, construction was resumed and only in 1829 a stone bridge was built. But it did not last long; in 1854 it was destroyed. A year later, in 1855, for the opening of the World Exhibition, they decided to restore it again. They built and built and finally built. Now the modern bridge has a length of 152 m, a width of 62 m, and a height of 18 meters. The Pont des Invalides was built in honor of Napoleon's victories, so on its central pillar there is a sculpture symbolizing Napoleon's victories, and on the rest there are military trophies in the form of the same sculptures.
Bridge of Concord (Concord).
The next bridge on our route is the Bridge of Concord.
After the appearance of the Place de la Concorde in 1787, instead of a crossing, it was decided to build a bridge on this site. The author of the project is Jean-Radolphe Perrone.
The arched Bridge of Concorde or Pont Concorde was built in 1791 from the stones of the destroyed Bastille fortress, at which time the French Revolution was in full swing. Initially, the bridge was named in honor of Louis XVI, then it was renamed the Bridge of the Revolution, and only in our time it became the Bridge of Concorde.
Initially, on the bridge, by order of Napoleon Bonaparte, statues of commanders and sailors who died in battles were installed. When the Bourbons came to power, King Louis Philippe I ordered the statues to be removed and transported to Versailles, and in their place twelve statues of famous ministers should be installed. But there was a threat that the bridge would not withstand such a load and the statues were removed. Apparently not fate.
In 1932, the bridge was expanded, which increased its capacity.
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Solferino Bridge.
If you look at the map, you won't find such a name. Now this bridge is correctly called the Leopold Sédar Senghor Bridge (the first President of France). And the name Solferino Bridge was given in honor of the victories of the French army over the Italians near the village of Solferino in 1859. This is not a large pedestrian bridge connecting the Dorsay Museum and the embankment of the Tuileries Park.
The bridge was demolished in 1960, and in 1961 it was restored again, or rather, rebuilt as a pedestrian bridge. Its appearance and design have changed. In 1999, the Solferino Bridge received a new life; it was rebuilt according to the design of engineer Mark Mimram. In this form, it continues to delight Parisians and guests of the city.
Pont Royal or Royal Bridge.
After the bridge was built in 1632, it did not stand for long; it suffered the same fate as many bridges of that time; it simply burned down. The bridge was wooden and was named after Anna of Austria. In 1685, with the financial support of King Louis XIV, the bridge was rebuilt, but this time a stone bridge was built.
In 1792, during the French Revolution, the bridge was renamed and given the name Pont National. Emperor Napoleon renamed the bridge and called it the Tuileries Bridge. However, in 1814, King Louis XVIII decided to make his contribution to the history of the bridge and named it the Royal Bridge.
Bridge Royal (Royal).
Carrousel Bridge (Pont du Carrousel).
This bridge was built in 1831 by order of Louis Philippe I. During the construction of this bridge, cast iron was used as a material for the first time along with wood. The corners of the bridge are decorated with sculptures of female figures representing Industry, Affluence, Paris and the Seine. The modern bridge looks like a stone one, but in fact it is reinforced concrete and only lined with stone. This reconstruction took place in 1906. The bridge got its name from Arc de Triomphe Carrousel.
The bridge was built at the direction of Napoleon in 1801 and received its name from the former name of the Louvre, which at that time was called the Palace of Arts.
If the Pont Neuf was the first stone bridge in Paris, the Pont des Arts was the first metal bridge. It was decorated with flower beds and there was a fee to pass through it. In 1984, the bridge was rebuilt.
Currently, you can cross the Pont des Arts from the Institute of France to the Louvre. The bridge is also famous for the fact that lovers hang locks on its fence in honor of eternal love. Just recently, one of the railings of the New Bridge collapsed under the weight of the locks. This tradition also harms the Seine River because hundreds of lock keys are thrown into this place from the bridge every day.
There are many benches on the bridge, where in warm weather it is nice to sit and eat a French crispy bread. The French are located directly on the wooden deck of the bridge.
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The most famous bridge on the Ile de la Cité and the first one on our route is the New Bridge, Pont Neuf. It is a little over 400 years old and was built in the 16th century. The first stone was laid by King Henry III, who on that day mourned the death of a friend. In connection with this sad event, they initially wanted to call the bridge the Bridge of Tears, but by the time construction was completed, this had already been forgotten. At that time there were only four bridges in Paris and they were all wooden, but the New Bridge was built of stone. The completion of construction took place under King Henry IV.
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Although the bridge is called New, it is actually the oldest bridge in Paris. In addition, this is the first building in the city captured on film. The Parisians immediately fell in love with the new stone bridge and they enjoyed walking along it with the whole family and admiring the Seine. Soon, Parisian merchants, considering that so much free space was wasted on the bridge, decided to build a shopping arcades. The bridge turned into a small market, but did not last long. The width of the bridge at that time was significantly larger than some central streets of capital European cities.
Bridge Saint-Michel.
The next bridge on the route of our walk connects the Ile de la Cité with Place Saint Michel and it has the same name as the square - Saint Michel. The bridge is located on the southern branch of the Seine. Built in 1378. Next to the bridge is the Saint Michel metro station. There is a plaque on the bridge commemorating the events of 1961.
Along the Saint Michel Bridge we cross the Ile de la Cité to the northern branch of the Seine and in front of us is another small bridge called the Pont au Change, its length is only 103 meters. What you see was built in 1860. Previously, it was a wooden bridge and it was built with houses on several floors, like many Parisian bridges of that time. At that time, the Change Bridge was the most populated bridge; according to some sources, there were 140 houses, many shops and workshops on it. As a result of such a load, the Menen Bridge was repeatedly destroyed and even burned. In 1786, by order of King Louis XVI, all buildings on the bridge were demolished. Solemn processions passed across this bridge to royal masses at Notre Dame Cathedral.
Petit Pont.
At the Petit Bridge rich story. The Romans began to build a bridge here in order to be able to cross to the island. Sieve. In 886, during a severe flood, the bridge was demolished by streams of water. The bridge stood for a long time. It also housed houses and shops. The bridge was washed away by the flooded Seine twice more, in 1393 and 1408. In 1852, the Small Bridge was rebuilt and has not been rebuilt since then.
In 1507, a stone bridge was built in its place, which was also built up with houses. At the same time, for the first time, the houses are numbered, even numbers on the right, odd numbers on the left. It must have been convenient to live in a house on the bridge in terms of sewerage and protection. But this also did not last long. In 1786 all buildings were demolished
In 1853, a new stone bridge was built with five supports, which were later reduced to three due to frequent crashes into ship arches. Because of this, they even gave it the name “devil’s bridge.” The next and last time the bridge was restored was in 1919.
Pont Saint-Louis.
From the Ile de la Cité to the Ile Saint-Louis we reach the Saint-Louis bridge of the same name. This bridge was built in 1627, and it was made of wood then. Its length today is 67 m, width 16 m. During its history, this bridge has also been rebuilt several times and modern look acquired only in 1968. This is already the seventh bridge since the construction of the first.
After the wooden bridge was demolished by a flood in 1795, an oak bridge was erected in its place, which was opened in 1804. This bridge did not stand for long; due to ground subsidence, it was dismantled in 1811 and in its place in In 1842, a new bridge was built, this time a suspension bridge. It stood until 1939, and in 1941 a new bridge was built in its place, which resembled a metal cage. The modern bridge you see now was built in 1968.
Crossing the Saint Louis Bridge over the Saint Louis Island we find ourselves on the Louis Philippe Bridge. The first stone of this bridge was laid by King Louis Philippe himself in 1833.
At this point we will interrupt our journey. If you are interested in the history of Parisian bridges, you can take a walk along the Seine on your own and see with your own eyes the rest, which I deliberately did not talk about further.
Once upon a time, the Pont Neuf bridge was created in order to solve the problem of congestion by expanding the number of crossings over the Seine. By our time, the remaining structures that existed at that time had been rebuilt, and the “New Bridge” became the oldest in the city.
Pont Neuf - “New Bridge” - opened in 1607, length 232 m, width 22 m
The name "Pont Neuf" is translated from French as the “New Bridge”, which was quite consistent with the realities of the time of its construction. Pont Neuf passing through western edge The island connects the embankment on the right bank with the Conti and Grands-Augustin embankments on the left. This crossing of the Seine became the fifth in the French capital. In an amazing way, it has passed through five centuries to become one of the symbols of the city today, much older than all the other bridges.
Map of Paris 1615 with the Pont Neuf marked, opened in 1607 
The bridge changed - 140 houses,
112 benches and a mill - painting 1756
The history of the Pont-Neuf
Despite the fact that in the 16th century it was not nearly as densely populated as it is now, the transport problem troubled the capital of France even then. The fact is that in those years, bridges were “platforms” for trade, on which not only artisans set up stalls, but were even completely built up with houses. Naturally, the width of the roadway was rapidly shrinking, preventing not only carts and pedestrians, but also crowned heads from freely crossing between the banks of the Seine.
In 1556, Henry II proposed to build a new bridge over the Seine, located near, according to the plan, it should have been intended only for free movement, without the construction of houses and shops. However, his plan failed, meeting fierce resistance from merchants who did not want to lose potential customers. The cost, estimated too high for the state treasury, also played a role. Only 30 years later, already under Henry III, work began. The foundation stone of the Pont Neuf was laid on May 31, 1578 by the king in the presence of Catherine de Medici, the Queen Mother, and his wife, Louise of Lorraine.
Pont-Neuf was “born” in pain - the Parisian merchants desperately protested against this development of events. But that’s not why it was called the “bridge of tears.” According to contemporaries, it rained when construction began, and the king cried. But he wasn’t crying because bad weather, but because of the death in a duel of one of his favorites.
The king himself did not see the results of construction. After his death, work was frozen for 10 years due to a popular uprising against the king and the unstable political situation within the country in the period from 1588 to 1598. However, in 1607, when the country was ruled by another Henry, already IV, the Pont Neuf was still opened.
The pon-nave is a project approved by Henry III in 1578. 
Pont Neuf - shop on the bridge
Construction of the Pont Neuf bridge
It was originally planned that the Pont-Neuf structure would be a single whole, connecting the two banks without any obstacles. The bridge was not intended to be built up with workshops and housing, which was contrary to tradition. The idea belonged to one of the architects, Andrue de Cersot, and not to Henry III, as is often erroneously stated. Naturally, traders did not like this option. Under public pressure, already in 1579, it was decided to “slightly” rework the design to make it possible to erect buildings in the future. To achieve this, some changes were made to the project, for example, the need for basements was taken into account.
But a year after laying the first stone, the builders came to the conclusion that the structure would be more resistant to the influence of the river current if its two parts across the island were built at a slight angle. And after the plans included the appearance of houses at the crossing in the future, the architects had to increase the number of arches on each side. At the same time, with south side construction had already begun, and the length of the spans had to be reduced. As a result, a lot of money was spent to rebuild the structure. Only in the end, all these innovations were practically of no use; in the entire history of the bridge, houses never appeared on it. The matter was limited to only small buildings that housed merchants' shops and a pumping station building.
Pont Neuf - Pump of the Samaritan Woman 
Pont Neuf - painting by G. Canella -1832.
"Pump to the Samaritan Woman"
In addition to the small shops under the roofs that stood on the supports of the bridge, only one full-fledged building was attached to the Pont Neuf - the “Pump of the Samaritan Woman”. In 1602, the king authorized the construction of a large pump which was designed to provide water to the palaces and the Tuileries with its gardens. The pumping house was a small residential building on stilts, topped with a clock with chimes, inside which was installed a steam engine and two large wheels scooping up water.
The Samaritan Pump, designed and built by the Fleming Jean Lintlaer, was the first water lifting machine built in . In 1791, the sculptures were removed from the pumping building, and the building itself was transferred to a guard post. In 1813, the former pump house building was completely dismantled, and by the mid-19th century, the merchants' shops were gradually dismantled. However, the name “Samaritanka” has not gone away forever; today this name is borne by a huge multi-storey store next to the bridge (under reconstruction).
In the 21st century, the Pont Neuf, despite numerous restorations, is the oldest structure, unlike the “contemporaries”, which were completely rebuilt on old foundations. Now he, as in the 16th century. is a 232-meter structure with a width of 22 m. At one time it was the most long bridge(now the 5th), and the first bridge in Paris to have sidewalks for pedestrians.
Pont Neuf - Pont Neuf 
Pont Neuf - Pont Neuf - mascarons
Why do tourists love Pont Neuf?
Pont Neuf is not only a historical and architectural monument. It is also an important cultural attraction. “Mascarons” deserve special attention here - sculptural decorations in the form of the heads of heroes of ancient Greek myths. The original decorations were created in part famous sculptor Renaissance era by Germain Pilon and his followers (the master died in 1590). Today the bridge is decorated with copies of 16th-century masks. The originals, too exposed to the weather, were moved to museums: , Cluny. It is interesting that among the 381 mascarons, only one image is of a woman.
A viewer seeing the bridge for the first time may have questions regarding the purpose of the decorative semicircular projections at sidewalk level. They were created in order to streamline possible trade by placing shops not on the road, but in special recesses. Today they offer a magnificent view of the Seine, with river buses floating along it, and visible in the distance.
Pont Neuf - Pont Neuf - statue of Henry IV 
Pont Neuf - Pont Neuf
In the 19th century The appearance of the bridge received many additions and changes. For example, semicircular arches were replaced with lower ones, and metal lanterns by Victor Baltar appeared. At the beginning of the 19th century, Louis XVIII restored the statue of a horseman on the island - a copy of the bronze statue of Henry IV, commissioned by Marie de Medici. The original statue was destroyed in 1792 during the French Revolution.
Travelers will also be interested in Ver Galan - the Ardent Lover square, located in the western part of the island, which has a triangular shape (“arrow”). The descent to it is accessible by stairs located directly behind the aforementioned statue of Henry IV. Quiet garden, small calm alleys, opportunity to ride a river buses moored to the island - today this place is very popular among lovers. Considering that the bridge connects the path from the embankment to the Conti embankment, the romantic mood characteristic of the park is very appropriate for citizens enjoying the beauty of Paris and tourists rushing to.
Locks of love on the Archdiocese Bridge 2016 
Locks on the Pont Neuf bridge near the statue of Henry IV - 2017
"Lover's Castles"
The tradition, which began in the 19th century in Florence, where boys and girls, “fixing” their feelings, hung locks on the Ponte Vecchio bridge and threw the keys into the Arno River, reached Paris. Moreover, in the most tourist-visited city in the world, “Lovers’ Castles” have become so popular that they have become a problem. After a lantern on the Milvian Bridge in Rome collapsed under the weight of numerous locks in 2007, activists sounded the alarm. The “lovers' castles” that have filled the bridges of Paris have begun to pose a real threat since the weight of their metal reaches up to one hundred tons, which leads to deformation of the supports of engineering structures, and the bottom of the Seine is strewn with rusting keys.