The Bridge of Love
A small bridge over the Vrnjačka river covered in padlocks, with the story of Nada and Relja that Desanka Maksimović made into a poem. Free, always open.
- Season
- All year
- Duration
- 15 minutes
- Where
- Outdoors
- For
- couples, families with children, seniors, solo travellers
- Entry
- Free entry
About the place
The Bridge of Love is a small bridge over the Vrnjačka river in the centre of the spa, a few steps from the promenade. Its railing is covered in padlocks with couples’ names, and the keys, by custom, are thrown into the river.
The story begins just before the First World War. Nada, a schoolteacher from the spa, and Relja, an army officer, were engaged and used to meet on this bridge. Relja went to war in Greece, fell in love with another woman there and broke off the engagement, and Nada wasted away with grief and died young. After that, local girls began fixing padlocks with their own names and their sweethearts’ to the bridge, so that their love would not end like Nada’s.
The story was almost forgotten until the poet Desanka Maksimović brought it back in her poem “A Prayer for Love”. Padlocks started appearing again, and the custom spread from Vrnjačka Banja to bridges around the world. Desanka’s Day is marked on the bridge every year.
The bridge is free and open at any time. It is loveliest at dusk, when the lights come on along the river, and in winter under snow. Buy a padlock at one of the stalls on the promenade and write your names on it with a marker or have them engraved.
What to expect
Padlocks with names
The railing is covered in couples’ padlocks; the key goes into the river.
The story of Nada and Relja
An early 20th-century love story that gave the bridge its name.
The bridge at night
At dusk, when the lights come on along the river, the bridge is at its most photogenic.
Where it is
Most ljubavi, centar, 36210 Vrnjačka Banja
- How to get there
- The bridge is in the centre of the spa, over the Vrnjačka river, a few steps from the promenade and the main square.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions people ask most. If yours is not here, get in touch and we will get back to you.
Send us a questionWhere is the Bridge of Love?
In the centre of Vrnjačka Banja, over the Vrnjačka river, a few steps from the promenade.
What is the story of the bridge?
Nada, a teacher, and Relja, an officer, met on the bridge before the First World War. Relja broke off the engagement during the war, and Nada died of grief. Local girls then began to fix padlocks with their names.
Where can I buy a padlock?
At the stalls on the promenade, where they can also engrave the names.
Is there an entry fee?
No, the bridge is free and open at any time.
Places to stay nearby
The nearest places to stay, by distance from here.
