Brâncusi Monumental Ensemble of Târgu Jiu

August 2024 - On our way from southern Romania back to Hungary we still wanted to make a stop at this freshly inscribed WHS. It was the so far hottest day on the trip. And there was large traffic jam when we approached Targu Jiu.

So not the best visiting conditions. Additionaly, when we passed the column, there was no spot to park or even halt for a short moment. So only I jumped out, took some humoristic photos and we continued to find a public swimming Pool. It wasn't that easy but we succeeded and spent the night on its parking lot.

The next morning before resuming our trip to Timishoara, I complained that this few minute stop at the column was no legit visit of a WHS. But again finding a parking lot was unfeasible. On the south border of the Brancusi Park my wife pulled over and me and my daughter took again the opportunity to visit the other components.

So really just a tick-off instead of a noteworthy WHS visit, but I wonder whether more visiting time would lead to a higher appreciation of this rather unspectacular WHS.

The Brâncuși monuments at Târgu Jiu are up for nomination this year. Romania profits from the lifting of the moratorium on sites associated with memories of Recent Conflicts, so it can propose two sites in 2024. Finding the Brâncuși monuments in the ‘Sites of Memory’-group is a bit odd, as they are not mentioned in the two papers ICOMOS wrote on the subject. The sculptures were made to commemorate the locals that fell here during World War I, but whether they are actual sites of mourning connected to “negative memories” is doubtful. The information panels on site also do not attest to this and focus on them being works of art.

The proposal was discussed already in 2015 and got a “Reject” from ICOMOS, after which Romania withdrew the proposal. The Romanians regretted sending in “a superficial file full of spelling mistakes”. ICOMOS was critical about the selection of the monuments included in the series and saw only a possibility for the Endless Column as it is regarded as a notable example of 20th-century public sculpture. Splitting them up however would be odd in my opinion, as the group of sculptures is considered an Ensemble by all Art History sources that I found online.

For a visitor, it is important to realize that the monuments effectively are spread across two locations. The Endless Column stands in a residential neighborhood, while the Gate of the Kiss, Alley of the Chairs and the Table of Silence are smack in …

I visited this tWHS during my roadtrip around Romania. It can easily be combined with a visit to one of the nearby cula (although they might not be the most representative location) and also with Horezu Monastery WHS on a long day if you leave early. I'm not a fan of modern architecture, and to me this is more of a national heritage than a site with outstanding universal value. We already have a far better representative on the list with this year's inscription of World War I memorial sites in Belgium and France.

The Sculptural Ensemble of Constantin Brancusi at Targu Jiu pays tribute to the Romanian heroes of World War I. The ensemble is made up of 3 main sculptures: the Table of Silence, the Gate of the Kiss, and the Endless Column on an axis 1.3 kilometres long, oriented west to east. The ensemble is considered to be one of the great works of 20th century outdoor sculpture. The ensemble was commissioned by the National League of Gorj Women to honor those soldiers who had defended Targu Jiu in 1916 from the forces of the Central Powers. Constantin Brancuși (1876-1957) was at the time living in Paris, but welcomed the opportunity to create a large commemorative sculpture in his homeland. He accepted the commission in 1935, but refused to receive payment for it. As a trivia, he lived in Cula Gheorghe Tatarescu for two years after accepting the commission.

The ensemble is also known as …

In World War 1, the major powers were striving to convince the few neutral powers to join the war on their side. Both Italy and Romania were targets of these efforts by both the Entente and the Central Powers. I guess the reasoning was that in a war of attrition, throwing more men into machine gun fire will help win the war faster. And opening more fronts for the other side to fight on certainly helps. Both Italy (1915) and Romania (1916) eventually declared for the Entente (i.e. declared war on the Central Powers). The reasoning must have been similar for both Italy and Romania:

1. The Entente seemed to be winning and the war should have been over any minute now.
2. The Austrian Hungarian empire held disputed territory (Südtirol for Italy, Siebenbürgen/Transylvania for Romania) where many Italians resp. Romanians lived, so this followed a policy goal: national unity. Side note: German unification was also brought about through three wars in the 19th century.
3. The Austrians looked weak.

In addition, Romania had fared quite well in the Balkan Wars and they had the support from God-almighty Russia.

However, they picked the wrong fight. World War 1 was not over. Transylvania with its natural defenses (mountains) to this day forms as strong a defensive position as it did for the Dacians against the Romans. The Russians couldn't even feed their population and were on the brink of a revolution, so the help they could offer …

Targu Jiu in Romania, where I stayed overnight in January, has its "Monumental Ensemble" nominated.

All the monuments, from west to east, "Table of the Silence," "Gate of the Kiss, "Church of the Saints-Apotres-Pierre-et-Paul," and "Infinity Column" are on one street "Calea Eroilor," in the center of Targu Jiu. So the nominated property centers on this street, and they have been trying to put this street in shape for the future inscription consideration.

The Infinity Column was visible from far away.

It just so happened that I had dinner (photo) on that night at the hotel "Europa" right on Calea Eroilor.

Although this dish itself has nothing to do with the nomination, and the making of it is not on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list of UNESCO, it does come from the nominated property and is one of the Romanian staples called "Tochitură," pan-fried pork in a spicy tomato sauce, served around polenta and cheese with a raw egg yoke hidden in between. It was a surprise when I found the yoke.