Târgu Jiu

From World travel guide

Downtown Mendoza.jpg Târgu Jiu (also spelled Tîrgu Jiu) is the capital of Gorj County, Oltenia, Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu.

1 History
2 Population
3 Transport
4 Education
5 Sports

[edit]

History

The settlement was attested for the first time in 1406 and promoted to city in 1597. In 1748–1764 the Orthodox cathedral has been constructed.

Constantin Brâncuşi, who had lived here as a boy, was commissioned to contribute to a memorial monument to the fighters of World War I, called Calea Eroilor / The Heroes' Street and finished in 1938. His large sculptures are now main touristic attraction of Târgu Jiu: The Table of Silence, The Gate of the Kiss, Chairs' Alley and The Endless Column. The latter is shown in the middle section of the city's coat of arms.

During World War II, a detention camp especially for Romanian Jews [1]. In 1941 Groups of Moldavian Jews were interned in Targu Jiu camp for political detainees. political prisoners were also sent to camp (mainly members of the Romanian Communist Party was located near the city. In August 1944, when Romania changed allies, it was as well used to detain leading personalities of the German settlers in the Banat.

In the fifties, the Communist mayor planned to demolish Brâncuşi's "bourgeois" art. The plan has not been carried out.

Starting with the 1960s, coal surface mining contributed to a rapid population growth. Other local industries include wood, machine building, textiles, glassware and construction materials (cement, bricks and tiles).

In 1992, a university was founded and named after Brâncuşi.

[edit]

Population

1889: 4,076
1900: 6,634
1940: 26,634
2000: 96,634
2002: 101,562

[edit]

Transport

The public transport system of Targu Jiu consists of 2 trolley tram lines and 8 bus lines. It is operated by S.C. Transloc. S.A. A ticket for one travel is around 0.3€. The town taxicabs are between cheap and expensive. You may find taxi drivers that take you for not more than 0.2-0.3€/km.
The main railway station is situated on Nicolae Titulescu Blvd. It was built within the last 25 years.
The city's road network consists of five boulevards (Blvd. Constantin Brancusi, Blvd. Nicolae Titulescu, Blvd. Republicii, Blvd. Ecaterina Teodoroiu, Blvd. Unirii). The main street of the city is Calea Victoriei (Street of the Victory). The largest boulevard in Targu Jiu is Blvd. Ecaterina Teodoroiu.
Targu Jiu is crossed by many important roads, such as E 79 and DN 67.

[edit]