There is a bridge that stands in Prague connecting Prague Castle with Old Town and providing a means to cross the Vltava River for more than 600 years. Since ancient times, this bridge has been the scene of commerce, battles, political unrest, and celebrations. Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people have walked across this bridge and for the most part, they would have enjoyed the same sights that I saw when crossing this bridge just a few weeks ago. I have to admit that I always experience a quiet thrill when walking in the steps of history. For me, it was exciting and humbling to reflect on the knowledge that this bridge has stood for so many hundreds of years before my visit, and likely will stand for many hundreds of years in the future. I like to think that having walked in the footsteps of so many, I am part of that history and part of that future as well.
It seems that many people might share this same longing to be a part of something permanent. Approximately halfway across the bridge, there is a monument (one of almost thirty that line its walkway) where people attach padlocks with their name, or the name of their loved ones, and the date that they crossed the bridge. I suppose that as they place their lock upon this monument they envision the possibility that it will stand there long after they have left, as a testament to their presence or even as a testament to the relationship with the loved one that they have documented on their padlock. As I first crossed the bridge, I stopped to look at this particular monument and to read some of the inscriptions on the locks left there. "Zaneta + Kuba", "Luisiana + Pasquale". Couples love documented for all time. Or at least that is what they envisioned.
However, on my return journey, I noticed a workman standing at this monument with a bolt cutter that he was using to methodically remove each and every padlock. Of course, the citizens of Prague do not want their monument spoiled with the leave-behinds and remembrances of so many people. And I agree that removing the locks is most logical course of action. However, for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking during my visit about all the people who left their locks anticipating their place in history, only to have them removed on a Tuesday morning by a workman with a bolt cutter.
We walk in the steps of all those who have come before us and sometimes we leave behind things of great permanence. But sometimes our footsteps will only be remembered by ourselves and by the spirits of history rather than through tangible proof that we once walked in this place.
Prague is a city resonating with the history of hundreds and hundreds of years. And, while visiting, I was honored to feel a part of that history - even if only for a blink in the lifetime of time.
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