The Story Behind The Locks On 2 Cent Bridge

If you've taken a stroll across "Two Cent Bridge" in Waterville  / Winslow you have probably noticed the padlocks attached to the bridge's fencing.

If you have not, there are dozens of them and many have things written on them.  People's initials or names and dates, too.  Kinda of like what'd you see carved into a couple's favorite oak tree.

According to Wikipedia, this is a fairly common practice called "Love Locks".  Over the last couple of decades, they've popped up in many places around the world.  Actually, the first time I saw this was in a scene in NBC's "Parks And Rec" where two of the characters, while visiting Paris, attach their lock to a fence.

The custom started 100 years ago in Serbia.  A teacher named Nada fell in love with a Serbian officer named Relja.  After they were engaged, he was transferred to Greece where he fell in love with a woman from Corfu.  As a consequence, Relja and Nada broke off their engagement and she never recovered from that devastating blow.  It is said she passed away from a broken heart.  Soon after, young women in the area, in an attempt to protect their relationships, wrote the names of their lovers on locks and attached them to the bridge where Nada and Relja used to meet.

Get more details about the "Two Cent Bridge" and Head of Falls Riverwalk HERE