They were meant to symbolise eternal love. The padlocks of lovers that have hung on the Bernatek footbridge in Krakow for years will be used for another purpose. The city wants to make them into a bench, the design of which will be made by students of the Krakow University of Technology.
The Bernatka Footbridge in Krakow was built in 2010 according to a design by Prof. Andrzej Getter’s Authorial Design and Plastic Workshop. During the last renovation, the balustrade spans were replaced and given a new grid. The padlocks hanging on them were previously removed and deposited. In total, 3 tonnes of padlocks were removed during the replacement of the railings.
The city did not intend to throw the padlocks away, but sought ideas from the residents for their use. As a result, more than 600 ideas were submitted by residents in 2022. Among them were melting the padlocks into sculptures or selling them as raw material. The authors of some of the ideas suggested using the padlocks to create a lovers’ bench. It is this last idea that will be implemented.
The task of transforming the padlocks in love into an urban piece of furniture was undertaken by engineers from the Małopolska District Chamber of Civil Engineers and second-year architecture students at Krakow University of Technology. The students have already made the first sketches. Under the supervision of Prof. Maria Żychowska, 300 students are tackling the subject. The next step will be to turn the conceptual sketches into project visualisations.
Computer visualisations of the bench installations will be presented in the form of an exhibition, from which 10 designs will be selected for public presentation to the citizens of Krakow in the vicinity of the O. Bernatek footbridge. This official presentation will include student sketches and perspectives, computer visualisations and 3D models of the benches. Out of the 10 projects, Krakow residents will select three final proposals, and their authors will be financially rewarded,” reads a press release from the Krakow University of Technology.
The presentation of the best works is scheduled for mid-February 2025. The new bench will stand by the Father Bernatek footbridge on the Podgórze side. The project will be carried out by the Cracow City Roads Authority.
source: Cracow City Roads Authority, Cracow University of Technology
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