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 the Endless Column Park and in fact the most iconic sculpture of it is indeed the Endless Column. It consists of a suite of cast iron modules: 15 modules and 2 semi-modules with a total height of 29.33 metres. The linden wood prototype for the column modules (today lost) was made by Brancusi in Petrosani in August 1937. The technical conception of the monument belongs to the engineer Stefan Georgescu-Gorjan, who in 1937 coordinated the operations of casting the modules and manufacturing the column, as well as the installation of the column at Targu Jiu. The modules have been strung on a solid steel pillar, embedded in a massive concrete foundation. The coating with brass was made in 1938, under the supervision of the artist, and the column was inaugurated on 27 October 1938 along with the other stone works. The monument seems to bear far more intangible significance than unique tangible craftsmanship, and although volumes of different interpretations have been written to date, Brancusi's quotation seems rather apt: "the Endless Column is like a timeless song that lifts us into infinity, beyond all suffering and artificial joy".

The Table of Silence is located in the central park, near the Jiu river dam. It is made of limestone and is surrounded by 12 round-face stools made of stone in the shape of hourglasses. The monument consists of two discs, the large one superimposed on the small one. Supposedly, one should start their visit at the Table of Silence and end at the Endless Column. The Alley of Chairs connects the Table of Silence and the Gate of the Kiss. It is 121 metres long and on its edges there are 30 stone chairs in 10 niches made up of groups of three chairs. The Gate of the Kiss is made out of Banpotoc travertine/marble and features two kiss motifs on its pillars. The gate is 6.45 metres wide and 5.13 metres tall and supposedly symbolically represents the transition to another life when one passes through the gate.

I enjoyed some peace and quite in the park, even though it is very popular among locals, as a green refuge in a very urban and industrial city. Starting in the 1960s, coal surface mining contributed to a rapid population growth at Targu Jiu. Other local industries include wood, machine building, textiles, glassware and construction materials such as cement, bricks and tiles.