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North Rhine-Westphalia

Love Locks on Hohenzollern Bridge

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Places to see

Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Love Locks on Hohenzollern Bridge

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Love Locks on Hohenzollern Bridge

Recommended by 179 hikers out of 195

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Location: North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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Best Hikes to Love Locks on Hohenzollern Bridge

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3. Cologne Cathedral – Rhine Promenade Cologne loop from Tanzbrunnen

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Tips

Isi-Sicilia

February 10, 2024

The exact origin of the tradition is unclear. The starting point in Europe is probably Italy. It has long been a custom in the city of Rome for young lovers to attach a padlock to the central lantern of the Milvian Bridge and then throw the key into the Tiber with the vow "per semper" (German: forever).

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Bettina

August 18, 2024

Simply beautiful, romantic and a little kitschy

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Dirkster

October 7, 2024

It's always impressive that the bridge can withstand this. Every now and then you see couples looking for a lock and then removing it...HAHA!

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Lukas Blomquist

January 22, 2024

Nice place on the Rhine

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𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕘

August 1, 2024

Liebesschlösser Hohenzollernbrücke

Andrea

September 21, 2024

No more space, you have to go to the other side 🤩

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Andre

September 23, 2024

Finding a place is difficult but found one

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Lipperlandkind

September 24, 2024

You can't miss it on the way to Cologne Cathedral 😊

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Steffen

October 18, 2024

Popular photo motif. Be careful, there is a lot of "traffic" on the bridge with cyclists and pedestrians

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Frank Niemeyer 📷🚶🏻‍♂️🚵🏻‍♂️

December 24, 2024

How many tons in weight the Hohenzollern Bridge gained because of all the locks. It would be equally interesting to ask how much all the locks cost together. I wonder if anyone has already looked into this.

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Alwin R 🚲

December 29, 2024

Love locks on the Hohenzollern Bridge

There has been a tradition in Cologne since 2008: couples in love attach a small padlock to the railing of the Hohenzollern Bridge to swear eternal love to each other - very romantically.

Anyone who passes the Hohenzollern Bridge by train or on foot (on the city map) will not only see Cologne Cathedral, but above all thousands of small and colorful padlocks: couples in love have written their names and dates on them and attached them to the railing of the bridge to swear eternal love and loyalty to each other. The key is traditionally thrown into the Rhine together.

How many love locks are hanging on the bridge?

It is not entirely clear how many locks actually hang on the Hohenzollern Bridge. In 2020, the number was estimated at around 450,000. Currently, it is likely to be a little more.

Will the love locks have to be removed soon?

Their estimated weight of 40 to 60 tons (depending on the number) currently poses no danger to the railway bridge. In 2018, Deutsche Bahn decided to remove the numerous tokens of love because they allegedly put unnecessary strain on the bridge structure. Ultimately, however, the company was persuaded by the many fans of the tradition to leave the locks hanging. Today, the locks are part of Cologne's cityscape and are visited by thousands of tourists as a popular attraction.

Where does the tradition of love locks come from?

The exact origin of the tradition is unclear. The starting point in Europe is probably Italy. In the city of Rome, it has long been the custom of young lovers to attach a padlock to the central bridge lamp of the Milvian Bridge and then throw the key into the Tiber with the oath "per sempre" (German: forever).

Something to sway to: The Cologne band Höhner addressed the Cologne love locks on the Cologne Hohenzollern Bridge in the song "Schenk mir dein Herz" from 2009.
This is how you get to the love locks

By tram: Lines 5, 16 and 18 to the "Dom Hauptbahnhof" stop (left-bank access), lines 3 and 4 to the "Bf. Deutz Messe/Lanxess-Arena" stop (right-bank access), lines 1 and 9 to the "Bahnhof Deutz Messe" stop (right-bank access)

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𝚁𝚢𝚋𝚔𝚒

February 12, 2024

FotoPoint💯📷

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Kaeselitz Uwe

June 9, 2024

The railing must be very stable!

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Sonny Samyn

August 11, 2024

Just like in Paris, a heavily loaded closure with locks

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Steffen

October 18, 2024

Popular photo motif. Be careful, there is a lot of "traffic" on the bridge with cyclists and pedestrians

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Steffen

October 18, 2024

Popular photo motif. Be careful, there is a lot of "traffic" on the bridge with cyclists and pedestrians

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Holger

March 24, 2025

It's certainly beautiful to look at.
koeln.de/tourismus/sehenswertes/liebesschloesser

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Ellen

August 1, 2024

Nice bridge with lots of locks

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Matthias 🥾🚲👟

June 17, 2025

Regarding the weight of the locks: a single locomotive weighs over 80 tons, and as you can see, several trains often travel across the bridge at the same time on four tracks. So, no one needs to worry that the weight of the few locks (estimates range from 0.5 to 1.5 million) will cause structural problems. If that were the case, the DB would have had them removed long ago. This is how the Liebesbrücke (Love Bridge) has become the second most popular tourist hotspot in Cologne after the chapel next door 😉
Fun fact: the Hohenzollern Bridge is one of the most frequently used sections of DB track in Germany.

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Elevation 40 m

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Thursday 13 November

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Location: North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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Love Locks on Hohenzollern Bridge

1. View of the Südbrücke – Alter Markt (Old Market Square) loop from Köln-Buchforst

2. Hohenzollern Bridge – Cologne Cathedral loop from Köln Messe/Deutz (tief)

3. Cologne Cathedral – Rhine Promenade Cologne loop from Tanzbrunnen

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