The Table of Silence
Târgu Jiu, Gorj County · Oltenia
About The Table of Silence
The Table of Silence is the first of the three works Constantin Brâncuși set up in Târgu Jiu in 1937–1938, in memory of those who fell defending the town in 1916. It stands in the Public Garden, today the Central Park, right beside the Jiu embankment, at the western end of the axis that runs through the Alley of Chairs and the Gate of the Kiss and continues along the Heroes' Way (Calea Eroilor) to the Endless Column. The ensemble was inaugurated on 27 October 1938 and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2024.
The table is made of two thick stone discs, one on top of the other: the top, 2.15 m across, and a slightly smaller disc beneath it. Brâncuși first made a table from Câmpulung stone in 1937, then in 1938 ordered a second, larger one in Banpotoc stone from a workshop in Deva; today's version combines the two. Around it, evenly spaced, are 12 hourglass-shaped seats, also of Banpotoc stone, often read as the hours or the months of the year.
What you can see
The table and its seats, set on a wide gravel esplanade surrounded by willows; behind it, a few steps climb onto the Jiu embankment. To the east runs the Alley of Chairs, lined on both sides with 30 hourglass-shaped stone seats, leading in a straight line through the park to the Gate of the Kiss, about 130 m away. From the table you can see the whole axis: the alley, the gate and, beyond the park, the Heroes' Way, along which the Endless Column stands about 1.3 km away.
Good to know
The Central Park is being refurbished and is closed in sections, but the Alley of Chairs axis, with the Table of Silence and the Gate of the Kiss, remains open; the rest of the park is expected to reopen in May 2027.
- The 2.15 m stone tabletop, with its 12 hourglass seats evenly spaced around it.
- The view east from the table, along the Alley of Chairs to the Gate of the Kiss.
- The Alley of Chairs, with the 30 hourglass-shaped stone seats that link the Table of Silence to the Gate of the Kiss.
- The steps behind the table that climb onto the Jiu embankment, with a view over the river.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: Târgu Jiu is on the DN66 (E79), ~110 km from Craiova and ~55 km from Petroșani through the Jiu Gorge. The Table of Silence is in the Central Park, on the western edge of the town centre, by the Jiu.
Public transport: Târgu Jiu station has direct trains from Craiova and Petroșani. The station is near the Heroes' Way, the axis linking the Endless Column to the park; from there walk west, past the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to the Gate of the Kiss and then along the Alley of Chairs to the Table of Silence.
- Fees & discounts
Free access: the table stands in the town's public park, with no admission ticket.
- Rules
The sculptures are a class A historic monument and part of a World Heritage Site: do not climb or sit on the table, and do not write on or stick anything to the stone. The seats around the table are part of the work. While the park works are under way, keep to the open paths.
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