Nan

Germany - 20-Jul-21 -

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 was limited. And the other allies couldn't send much help as the Romanians were encircled by the Central Powers.

Last but not least, Austria may have looked weak, but they were fighting with the Germans. The battle hardened German Army of 1915/1916 was without doubt the best land army of World War 1. You can find military history buffs like Dan Carlin (who did a great podcast series on World War1 that also covers the Romanian theatre briefly) arguing that this is the best army Germany ever fielded and one of the best land armies in history.

With this in mind, the result in the Romanian theatre is a foregone conclusion. After initial successes by the Romanians, the central powers took over control. The main fighting took place along the Jiu river valley that connected the uplands of Transylvania to the plains of Wallachia. The campaign is tellingly known as the Romanian Debacle. The last battle took place in Targu Jiu after which the Central Powers had free access to the plains of Wallachia and the war waslost for Romania.

In total, more than 300.000 Romanians died in World War 1 on the Romanian side. In vain, when you consider that Romania could have sat this out. Nobody had declared war on Romania, it was the Romanians who declared war on the Central Power to achieve a policy goal. Tragically, it ended up with Romanians killing Romanians as the Austrian-Hungarian army also fielded significant numbers of Romanians.

In the 30s a local commission commissioned a memorial by Romania's most prominent sculptor and one of the leading sculptor's of the 20th century, Constantin Brâncuși. He created the Sculptural Ensemble of Constantin Brâncuși at Târgu Jiu. It consists of three parts spread out along an axis: the Infinity Column, the Kiss Gate, and the Table of Slice. It's interesting, but I couldn't quite make sense of it; modern art. Indeed, I didn't notice the Table of Silence on my first passing.

OUV

It seems Unesco has decided in general, that War Memorials don't belong on the list. There is / should be a separate category for dark history: Memories of the World? Even if you ignore this, I am hard pressed to see OUV. The site is tiny and more of an artwork / installation than a tangible world heritage. It's also spaced fairly far apart, so it doesn't feel like one consistent set. The afore mentioned new category will work better.

Getting There

There are plenty of buses and some trains. Key connections for me are the buses to Horezu / Bucharest and the trains to Simeria. When connecting from Bucharest North to Transylvania, Targu Jiu is a good stop over point.

I came from Simeria after having visited Sarmizegetusa Regia, the former Dacian capital. On the train ride to Petrosani you pass another Dacian Fortress, Banita. Please do not try to visit Banita. From Petrosani you pass through Romania's industrial heartland. The trainline through Defileul Jiului National Park is gorgeous. Note: Targu Jiu has more than one train stop. Make sure which one to get off at.

I left by bus to Horezu. Key challenge with buses in Romania is finding the right stop. Different bus companies have different stops. In addition, some of the micro buses seem to require a reservation at least 24h in advance. My bus ran from East of the city. I paid the driver directly.

While You Are There

Several coules (T) are in the area. Seeing you will probably pass through Horezu anyhow, it's probably easier to visit there.

The trainline to Petrosani is scenic and the industrial landscape could be a candidate for industrial heritage.

The Dacian Fortress Barita, meanwhile, is just plain stupid and downright dangerous to visit, so don't: 2km of hike on the rail roads tracks, unmarked trail, unstable hill top ... It's also the worst component in the serial as preservation is bad. Thanks to our resident Romanian WHS Traveller Carmen for making me aware.

Miscellaneous

On thing i am not sure, is why the site is called Tirgu Jiu... I am thinking this could be a spelling error.

The food Tsunami mentions is not typical of the city. The church also is not part of the proposed site.

Tsunami

Japan / USA / Europe - 06-Feb-17 -

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.