Târgu Jiu


Târgu Jiu is the capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the city: Bârsești, Drăgoieni, Iezureni, Polata, Preajba Mare, Romanești, Slobozia and Ursați.

History

The city takes its name from the river Jiu, which runs through it. In antiquity, there was a Dacian village in around the location of today's city surrounded by forests. After the Roman conquests of Oltenia, military units were stationed around the roads that connected different important routes at the time. During the digging of the Târgu Jiu - Rovinari railroad, mosaics, coins, ceramics and Roman bricks were found in the south-eastern part of the city. This and ancient testimonies support the idea that Târgu Jiu was a commercial town while under the Roman Empire's rule. A very important route that connects the Danube to Transylvania runs through the city, so historians believe that part of the Roman army under Trajan's leadership stayed and then passed in the actual location of the city.
After the 271 withdrawal of the Roman army, the city remained in the Latin influence zone, mainly because of Constantine The Great's involvement in Oltenia which he sought to bring under imperial rule. The importance of keeping this zone under Rome's control was underlined by Constantine's decision to build a second bridge over the Danube between today's Corabia and the Bulgarian city of Gigen. It was over 2400 meters long, one of the longest of all time.
This territory was under Litovoi's rule, a Vlach voivode in the 13th century, whose territory comprised northern Oltenia. He is mentioned for the first time in a diploma issued by king Béla IV of Hungary on 2 July 1247. In 1277, Litovoi was at war with the Hungarians over lands King Ladislaus IV of Hungary claimed for the crown, but for which Litovoi refused to pay tribute. Litovoi was killed in battle.
The first written account of the city appears in a document dating from 23 November 1406 in an order signed by Mircea cel Batran. Since 1497, the city has been the seat of Gorj County.
Constantin Brâncuși, 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, "Heroes' Street", which was finished in 1938. His large sculptures are now the main tourist attractions in Târgu Jiu: The Table of Silence, Stool Alley, The Gate of the Kiss, and The Endless Column. The latter is shown in the middle section of the city's coat of arms.
In the 1950s the Communist mayor planned to demolish Brâncuși's "bourgeois" art. The plan was not carried out.
Starting in the 1960s, coal surface mining contributed to a rapid population growth. Other local industries include wood, machine building, textiles, glassware and construction materials.
In 1992, a university was founded and named after Brâncuși.

Coat of arms

The Coat of Arms of Târgu Jiu consists of a Shield with seven towers. In the centre of the Shield lies the representation of Constantin Brâncuși's Endless Column, a symbol of Romanian art and culture. In the right and left sides of the shield lies a golden lion holding a black sword, "guarding" the Column. The Lion is the ancient symbol of Oltenia, thought to be originating from the logo of one Rome's Legions station in this aria, the 13th Legion "Gemina ". It represents the bravery and combative spirit of the city's inhabitants.

Population

As of 2011 census, 78,553 inhabitants live within the city limits: 96,29% were Romanians, 3,41% Gypsies or Roma people and 0,20% others.

Transport

Education

Main high schools are:
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The universities are:
The main football team of the city is Pandurii. They have spent 12 season in the country's top league, Liga I. Their best result was achieved in the 2012–13 season, when they came in second. Pandurii has qualified for European competitions on two occasions, and reached the group stages of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.
Also, the city has one basketball team in Liga Națională, CSM Târgu Jiu and two handball team in Divizia A, UCB Târgu Jiu, at male's and CSM Târgu Jiu, at female's.

Twin cities