“I love you!” – how much these words mean, and how much many of us long to hear them. French artists Frederic Baron and Claire Kito did everything possible to help people remember this more often. In 2000, on the threshold of the new millennium, the Love Wall was opened in Paris at their initiative. It is located on one of the walls of a residential building opposite the church of Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste. On this wall, the words “I love you” are written in 311 languages, including in symbols and in a special script for the blind. Thus, Paris now has 42 square meters of declarations of love. How romantic, isn’t it?
But first Frederic Baron had to work quite hard to find out how these cherished three words are written in different languages of the world. He asked neighbors, friends, acquaintances, and even contacted the embassies of different countries. Then he passed these translations to Claire Kito. She wrote them in different scripts on 612 tiles, which were then used to lay out the wall. The red pieces, which seem to be scattered across all the tiles, symbolize fragments of a heart. Its pieces can be found in every corner of the world, because love moves us all.
There is now a real tradition of declaring love and making marriage proposals near this wall. And those who have not yet met their soulmate can easily attract them into their life — they only need to find the declaration written in their native language, place a hand on it, and make a wish. They say it is sure to come true.
Flickr, normandie2005
By the way, Montmartre has plenty more interesting sights: the snow-white basilica of Sacré-Cœur, Place du Tertre strewn with street artists, the legendary Moulin Rouge cabaret... We have gathered these and other places in a ready-made walking route through Montmartre. You can read it, but it will be more convenient to download the audio guide to Montmartre, which you will find in the Ever.Travel mobile app.
Also take a look at our other guides to Paris:
You can add any of these routes, as well as the article about the Love Wall in Montmartre, to your favorites for inspiration ;) Or add it straight to your trip plan if you intend to go to Paris in the near future. You can find out what else is worth seeing in the French capital on the interactive city map. Choose what you like, add it to your plans, spread it across several days of your trip, and do not forget to sync it with the free Ever.Travel mobile app. That way, your personal city guide will always be at hand and, unlike traditional paper guidebooks and maps, will not take up a gram of extra space in your luggage!
