Arad is a large city with many interesting monuments and museums. Its characteristic building is a huge, 18th-century, star-shaped fortress, one of the largest such buildings in Romania.
The history of the city begins in the Danish times, and at the beginning of the first millennium there was a Roman military camp here. The first medieval settlements and castles were built here in the 8th and 9th centuries, and from the 10th century these areas were under Hungarian rule.
For centuries, Arad was one of the most important trade centers in this part of Europe, and due to its strategic location, it was also heavily fortified. In the place of the former fortifications in the 18th century, the Arad Fortress was built on a star plan. To this day, it remains in the hands of the military and access to it is difficult.
The historic center of Arad is on the other side of the Mureš River. They are created by the wide Revolution Avenue along which the most important, monumental city buildings stand. These include The Arad Museum Complex , the Palace of Culture and Science , the City Hall , the neo-Gothic Red Church , the City Theater and the Church of St. Anthony of Padua . The entire structure was built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries during the rebirth of the Romanian state and is characterized by monumentality and elegance.
The second cluster of important city buildings is Avram Iancu Square, where the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Trinity Church and the historic water tower converted today into a museum.
