In the Finnish city of Seinäjoki, the Törnava Island Bridge came to be known as the “Bridge of Love” due to a tradition that began years ago and has since become a custom. This is because Finnish couples, inspired by the global tradition known as “love locks,” have been attaching padlocks—engraved with their names and dates—to the bridge’s metal railings as a symbol of eternal love and togetherness.
In Seinajoki, the capital of the South Ostrobothnia region located in inland Finland, an interesting tradition has been ongoing for years. Finnish couples, who adopted the ritual—originally from Southern Europe—of attaching padlocks inscribed with the names of lovers or newlyweds to bridges and throwing the keys into the river below, transformed the Törnava Island Bridge into the “Love Bridge” in the early 2000s.
Seinäjoki’s “Love Bridge” quickly became the city’s official and most popular spot for attaching love padlocks. Couples visiting the bridge, wishing for their relationship to last forever, attach the padlocks—bearing their names—that they’ve brought with them to the bridge’s railings so that no one can ever open the lock or break their vow, and then toss the keys into the Seinajoki River flowing beneath the bridge.
Because of this tradition, the bridge has become a must-see attraction for visitors to the Törnava Island area.
