The city of Targu Jiu takes its name from the Jiu River that flows through it. During the 1930s, Constantin Brâncuași was commissioned to contribute to a commemorative monument for the fallen of the First World War, called Calea Eroilor, "The Path of Heroes," which was completed in 1938. His monumental sculptures are now the main tourist attractions of Târgu Jiu: The Table of Silence, The Alley of Chairs, The Gate of the Kiss, and The Endless Column.

In the 1950s, the communist mayor planned to demolish Brâncuști's "bourgeois" art. The plan was never executed.