The Cișmigiu Gardens or Cișmigiu Park () are a public park in the center of Bucharest, Romania, spanning areas on all sides of an artificial lake. The gardens' creation was an important moment in the history of Bucharest. They form the oldest and, at , the largest park in city's central area. The main entrance is from Elisabeta Boulevard, in front of the General City Hall of Bucharest; there is another major entrance at the Știrbei Vodă Street, near the Crețulescu Palace. The southwestern corner of the park is adjacent to the prestigious Gheorghe Lazăr National College. The park attracts an average of 5,100 visitors on a weekend day. Landmarks The Rondul Român ("Romanian Round") or Rotonda Scriitorilor ("Writers' Rotunda") is a circular alley which has stone busts of twelve important Romanian writers: Mihai Eminescu, Alexandru Odobescu, Titu Maiorescu, Ion Luca Caragiale, George Coșbuc, Ștefan Octavian Iosif, Ion Creangă, Alexandru Vlahuță, Duiliu Zamfirescu, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, Nicolae Bălcescu and Vasile Alecsandri. Monumentul Eroilor Francezi ("The Monument of French Heroes") commemorates French soldiers who died fighting during the World War I Romanian Campaign. Made in Carrara marble, the French monument was created by the Romanian sculptor Ion Jalea and was inaugurated on 25 October 1922. The sculptural work Izvorul Sissi Stefanidi, was created by Ioan C. Dimitriu Bârlad (1890–1964), and it depicts a mother, aggrieved by the death of her daughter, pouring water from a pitcher. Monumentul Eroilor Americani ("The Monument of American Heroes") commemorates the 378 US soldiers who died in Romania during World War II. The granite sculpture is the work of the artist Remus Botarro; it was officially inaugurated in 2002 by the Romanian Government and the American Embassy in Bucharest. Other statues located in Cișmigiu are the one of journalist George Panu, sculpted by Gheorghe Horvath, and of writer and women's rights activist Maica Smara (1854–1944), sculpted by Mihai Onofrei. History The park was built in 1847, at a time when Bucharest was the capital of Wallachia, on a site formerly known as Lacul lui Dura neguțătorul (the "Lake of Dura the merchant"), or simply as Dura. The pool it replaced was a popular site for fishing from as early as the 17th century, and was inhabited by mallard colonies. A part of the present-day gardens was occupied by a vineyard, which was planted around a water source: the latter had been tapped during the bubonic plague