Today we travel to western Romania,
\nto the city of Arad. A place with a rich cultural and historical heritage, Arad
\nis a genuine outdoor architecture museum, boasting a variety of 18th,
\n19th and 20th architectural styles. The surroundings of
\nthe city are just as interesting. But first, let’s find out more about the
\nhistory of Arad from its deputy mayor, Levente Bognar:<\/p>\n
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Arad is in fact Romania’s western
\ngate, a city open towards the west of Europe, a city where different ethnic and
\nreligious groups live in harmony. It’s a multicultural city whose heritage is
\nbased on the contribution of these different ethnic and religious communities.
\nThe city’s beautiful and imposing buildings reflect its wealth and history going
\nback more than 200 years. Arad is at the same time a dynamic city, with an
\nindustrial tradition. The first car in our region, called Marta, was built here
\nin Arad. I recommend visitors to the city to see the historical centre. They
\nwill find here the imposing building housing the City Hall as well as the
\nrecently restored Cultural Palace which hosts concerts by the city’s
\nPhilharmonic Orchestra. But there are many more cultural sites worth visiting,
\nas well as many things to do for leisure. We hope that soon we will also be
\nable to open for visitors the fortress of Arad built between 1760 and 1780 and
\nwhich is still intact.<\/p>\n
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The Administrative Palace is no
\ndoubt one of the most imposing buildings in Arad. Ralu Cotrau, the spokeswoman
\nof the Arad City Hall, says that in her opinion it is the most beautiful city
\nhall building in Romania, but she also recommends other places to visit:<\/p>\n
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Also in the city centre, visitors
\nwill find the Ioan Slavici Classical Theatre and the Cultural Palace with its
\nbreathtaking interiors. The 35m tall water tower is another interesting site,
\nespecially as it provides a great view of the city. The tower also contains an
\nexhibition space covering five storeys. I also urge visitors not to miss the
\ncity’s old buildings and palaces, especially those located on Revolution Boulevard:
\nNeuman Palace, the Palace of Justice and the Palace of the National Bank are
\nfine examples of eclectic and neoclassical architecture. The fortress of Arad,
\na Transylvanian type fortress built in the Vauban style, and the House with Padlock,
\nalso known as the House with Canon Balls, owing to the 17 cannon balls
\nincorporated into its walls, are also worth visiting.<\/p>\n
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Arad is also home to Baroque
\nchurches such as the Monastery of St Simeon the Pillar Saint, the St Peter and
\nPaul Serbian Church and the Saint Anthony of Padua Cathedral built in a
\nneo-Renaissance style in 1904. Ralu Cotrau, the spokeswoman of the Arad City
\nHall tells us more:<\/p>\n
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We also recommend tourists to visit
\nthe Serbian Church, the Red Church, the Reconciliation Park, the Eugen Popa
\nMuseum of Art and Ethnography, the Teachers College, which was home to the
\nfirst Romanian pedagogical school in Transylvania, and the Confectioner’s
\nMuseum. Other sites worth a visit are the city’s old cathedral and the train
\nstation, which has also been restored. Arad also has a lot to offer in terms of
\ncultural events, being home to over 100 different such events throughout the
\nyear.<\/p>\n
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One of these events, which is very
\npopular with the locals, is the Christmas fair, which brings the whole city
\ncentre to life. Given that the entire region around Arad is full of traditions,
\nthe highlight of the fair will most likely be the traditional crafts. The
\nfestival celebrating Arad’s anniversary is another popular event. It
\ncommemorates the time when Arad became a free city and the festival, which is
\nheld in August, lasts for ten days. <\/p>\n
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As we were saying in the beginning
\nof the programme, the surrounding area is no less interesting. Worth a visit is
\nthe Museum of Vine and Wine in the village of Ghioroc, which displays over
\n50,000 bottles of wine of different ages and varieties such as Riesling,
\nMustoasa, Feteasca, Burgundy, Cabernet and Merlot. The highlights of the
\ncollection are a few bottles of Italian Riesling wine from 1962. The village of
\nGhioroc is also home to the Museum of Electric Trams, which is no coincidence
\ngiven that this is where eastern Europe’s first and the world’s eighth electric
\ntram line was created. Rides are still organised today on the vineyard’s old electric
\ntram, known as the Green Arrow. Levente Bognar, the deputy mayor of Arad, is
\nback with more recommendations:<\/p>\n
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The vineyard of Arad is an
\nimportant wine-making region. A wine called Cadarca de Minis, which is specific
\nto these parts, is made here. Other quality wines are also produced and wine
\ntasting trips are organised for those interested. Visitors will also find
\nnearby the recently restored Mary of Radna Church, which is a place of
\npilgrimage. Other attractions include a number of mediaeval fortresses. To the
\nnorth of the county visitors will find the Hodos-Bodrog monastery and the Gai
\nmonastery, all of which are very close to Arad.<\/p>\n
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And that was Traveller’s Guide,
\ntoday’s instalment dedicated to the city of Arad was produced with the support
\nof the Department for Interethnic Relations in the Romanian Government.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The western city of Arad is a multicultural place with a rich cultural and historical heritage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":149798,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43423],"tags":[43122,19347],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-149797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travellers-guide","tag-arad","tag-romania"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n