Begijnhof Bridge - Brugge, Belgium
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 51° 12.103 E 003° 13.434
31U E 515642 N 5672280
The bridge leading to the Begijnhof in Brugge (Bruges in English) has a number of love padlocks on it.
Waymark Code: WMFMW2
Location: West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Date Posted: 11/05/2012
Views: 22
According to Wikipedia "a
beguinage (French) or begijnhof (Dutch) is a collection of small buildings used by Beguines. These were various lay sisterhoods of the Roman Catholic Church, founded in the 13th century in the Low Countries, comprising religious women who sought to serve God without retiring from the world."
Brugge itself is one of the best preserved Medieval cities in Europe and extremely popular with tourists. The Begijnhof is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the most visited places in Brugge, so it's not surprising that people leave their love padlocks here.
However considering its origin and the fact that In 1937 the Begijnhof became a monastery for Benedictine sisters it is ironical that it is a place used to pledge one's love.
As well as fastening the padlocks to the bridge some people have placed them on the bell pull next to the door of the building.