Destroyed bench from the Brâncusi Ensemble, near the Kissing Gate. The police are investigating a case of destruction
Kissing Gate Photo: Inquam Photos – Tudor Costache
The police are checking after a piece of one of the stone benches in the Brâncuşi Ensemble from Târgu Jiu broke off. The destroyed bank is located near Poarta Sărutului, informs News.ro.
According to some online posts, a corner of one of the stone benches in the Brâncuşi Ensemble from Târgu Jiu came off.
“On February 23, 2026, following appearances in the online environment, regarding the dislocation of a piece of the stone bank, part of the Monumental Ensemble “Calea Eroilor” in Târgu Jiu, a UNESCO Heritage Site, the police officers from the Gorj Criminal Investigation Service notified themselves ex officio about the commission of the crime of destruction. The policemen continue to carry out investigations in order to establish with the accuracy of all the causes and circumstances of the degradation of the monument, taking into account the unfavorable weather conditions as well”, the Gorj Police reported on Monday evening.
The cited source stated that the fragments detached from the monument were recovered by the representatives of the “Constantin Brâncuşi” Center for Research, Documentation and Promotion, in order to recondition and restore the work.
In 2024, the Târgu Jiu Monumental Ensemble entered the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Monumental Ensemble erected in Târgu Jiu between 1937-1938 by Constantin Brâncuşi (1876-1957) was inaugurated on October 27, 1938 and is the only public creation of the great sculptor.
The ensemble stretches along an axis from west to east that crosses the city, starting from the bank of the Jiu River, from the Central Park, where the stone works are located – the Table of Silence, the Alley of Chairs and the Kissing Gate -, continuing with the Way of the Heroes, where the Church of the Holy Apostles is found and culminating with the Endless Column, made of brass cast iron and steel, erected in the middle of a park, on a promontory.
The ensemble was commissioned by the National League of Gorjene Women, chaired by Arethia Tătărescu, the wife of the Prime Minister of Romania, Gheorghe Tătărescu, and donated to the city.
