Since its construction it had a very troubled life.
The original bridge dates back to 1804 and represented the first iron bridge in the capital. Over the years the bridge was restored several times, especially after the two World Wars.
The Pont des Arts has also experienced a big collapse in 1979 which forced the authorities to build a new bridge, similar to the previous one, with the goal of reducing the number of supports placed in the river and to widen the passages, aligning them with those of the Pont Neuf .
The new bridge was inaugurated by Jacques Chirac, then mayor of Paris in 1984.
Today it's a refuge for artists and couples because it has no traffic and is considered undoubtedly one of the symbols of romantic Paris . The tradition suggests that lovers stick padlocks to the bridge mentioning the name of the person he/she loves: they are the so-called locks of love.
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