BRANCUSI’S MONUMENTAL ENSEMBLE - TARGU-JIU

The Monumental Ensemble by the father of modem sculpture, Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), erected in Targu-Jiu between 1937 and 1938, is only large-scale project of the artist that ever came to fruition.

According to art critics it is “the only sculpture of the modem era that will bear comparison with the great monuments of Egypt, Greece and the Renaissance”, as it is equally sculpture, architecture and landscape.

The ensemble extends on a west-east axis throughout the city, starting from the bank of the Jiu, crossing the municipal park, with its stone works - The Table of Silence, The Alley of Stools, The Gate of the Kiss - going on with the Avenue of the Heroes, where the St Apostles Church stands, and reaching a climax in the park surrounding The Endless Column, a monument of brass-coated cast iron and steel.

The National League of Gorj Women, presided over by Aretia Tatarescu, the wife of premier Gheorghe Tatarescu, commissioned the ensemble and donated it to the town in order to honor the memory of Gorj’s heroes, killed in action during World War I. This war memorial was dedicated on October 27, 1938.

The restauration of the memorial was completed between 2000-2003, with the help of World Bank and World Monuments Fund.

This is what an info sign says about Targu-Jiu’s most precious pieces of art that Brancusi left for Romania to have. Although on his final days Brancusi wanted to give his legacy to his mother-country, Romania, the Romanian state declined his offer, so that nowadays our country cries over the pieces of art the famous artist left behind to France.

This is a story of foolishness, about a country and its people who were too narrow to see how great a man’s work was. There are many legends, sayings about the personality and the man that Brancusi was, but that is not the matter, nor our concern, but his legacy to humanity is.

So, all I have to say to you is: come, enjoy a piece of art, a piece of history, something beautiful and unique. You would enjoy entering the gates of the Municipal Park. As you enter you will encounter The Gate of the Kiss, and you will pass it joining The Alley of Stools, only to find your steps at the end of the alley and share the beauty of nature at The Table of Silence. As for The Endless Column you won’t find it here. You would have to go across the town almost 2 kilometers to find the column in its very own park: The Endless Column Park.

As a turist myself I truly advise you this: don’t go to Targu-Jiu in the hot days of summer. Go in spring or autumn to enjoy it. 

When I recently was in Targu-Jiu it was a hot day at the beginning of summer and it was hot as hell. I did loved seeing The Municipal Park and The Endless Column Park, but I had to hydrate myself very well and by the time I reached The Endless Column Park I was out of water. Luckily I encountered a fountain in that open-space park and refilled my bottle or otherwise I could dehydrate myself. 

So as a piece of advice I tell you this: bring at least 1-1.5 liters of liquid with you, when you visit those parks.