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Information About

Arad, Romania





City Information

  Name Arad
  Coa Pic Coa Arad ROpng
  Map Arad_in_Romaniapng
  County Arad County
  Status County capital
  Mayor Gheorghe Falcă
  Election 2004
  Party Democratic Party
  Area 4618
  Census 2002
  Population 172,827
  Density 3742
  Coordinates
  Website http://wwwprimariaaradro


Arad (pronunciation in , in western Romania , in Crişana , Ardeal .

It is situated on the right bank of the river Mureş , and consists of the inner city and five suburbs. Arad is a modern-built city, and contains many handsome private and public buildings, including a cathedral. It is the seat of a Greek Orthodox bishop, and possesses a Greek Orthodox theological seminary, two training schools for teachers, a Romanian and a Hungarian one, and a conservatoire for music.


POPULATION


The municipality of Arad is home to 183,939 inhabitants, the ethnic breakdown of the city is as follows:

  • Romanian : 142,968 (82,72%)

  • Hungarian : 22,503 (13,02%)

  • Roma : 3,004 (1,73%)

  • German : 2,247 (1,30%)

  • along with 2,105 of other nationalities.



HISTORY


Arad was mentioned in documents for the first time in 11th Century . The Mongol invasion in 1241 showed that defensive fortifications were needed and in the second half of the 13th Century stone fortresses at Soimos, Siria and Dezna were built. The Ottoman Empire conquered the region in 1551 and kept it until the Peace Of Karlowitz of 1699 . After 1699, the city was ruled by the Habsburg Monarchy . According to 1720 data, the population of the city was composed of 177 Romanian families, 162 Serbian and 35 Hungarian.

The new fortress, built between 1763 and 1783 , although small, was formidable, and played a great role in the Hungarian struggle for Independence in 1849 , and the city possesses a museum containing relics of this war of independence. Bravely defended by the Austrian general Berger until the end of July 1849, it was then captured by the Hungarian rebels, who made it their headquarters during the latter part of the Insurrection . It was from Arad that Lajos Kossuth issued his famous proclamation ( August 11 , 1849), and it was here that he handed over the supreme military and civil power to Artúr Görgey . The fortress was recaptured shortly after the surrender of Görgey to the Russians at Şiria , and is now used as an ammunition depot. Here there were executed 13 rebel generals on 6 October 1849, by order of the Austrian general Haynau. These men are known collectively as the 13 Martyrs Of Arad . One of the public squares contains a martyrs' monument, erected in their memory. It consists of a colossal figure of Hungary, with four allegorical groups, and medallions of the executed generals.

Arad enjoyed a great economic development. In 1834 it was declared a "free royal town" by Emperor Francis I of Austria .

''Aradu Nou'' ("New Arad"), situated on the opposite bank of the Mureş, is a suburb of Arad, to which it is connected by a bridge. It was founded during the Turkish wars of the 17th Century . The works erected by the Turks for the capture of the fortress of Arad formed the nucleus of the new settlement.


Historic References

  • 1028 - First time the area was mentioned

  • 1078 - 1081 - The first mention of the town

  • 1131 - Arad is mentioned in ''The Painted chronicle from Vienna''

  • 1551 - 1552 - The town was occupied by Ottoman Empire

  • 1702 - The furriers' guild was registered - the oldest one

  • 1715 - Camil Hofflich, a minorite monk, set up the first school - German language

  • 1765 - 1783 - A new fortress was build, in ''Vauban'' style

  • 1812 - The foundation of Preparandia - ''the first Romanian pedagogy school in Transylvania''

  • 1817 - Hirschl Theatre was build - the first stone made theatre in the country

  • --- 1868 - Mihai Eminescu participated as prompter

  • 1833 - ''The sixth European Music School was set up in Arad'', after Paris, Prague, Brussels, Vienna and London - ''Arader Musik Conservatorium''

  • 1834 – Arad obtained the "free royal town" statute

  • 6 October 1849 - The Hungarian revolution was stoped

  • 1890 - The founding of The Philharmonic Society''''

  • --- 1846 - Franz Liszt performed

  • --- 1847 - Johann Strauss The Son performed

  • --- 1877 - Pablo Sarasate and Henryk Wieniawski performed

  • --- 1922 - George Enescu performed

  • --- 1924 - Bela Bartok performed

  • 15 August 1899 - The first official football game in Romania, was held in Arad

  • 10 April 1913Arad - Podgoria, the first electrical railway in the Eastern Europe and the 8th in the world was build in Arad

  • 1918 - Arad becomes the headquarters of ''The Romanian National Central Council'' and a non-official capital of Transylvania

  • --- 13 - 15 May - Iuliu Maniu expresses the decision of separation from Hungary and the union of Transylvania with Romania

  • 1937 – Arad was the most important economic centre in Transylvania and occupied the 4th position in Romania

  • 1989 – Arad was the second town from Romania to rise against Communism

  • 1990 - The foundation of The West University ''Vasile Goldiş''

  • 1991 – The foundation of The ''Aurel Vlaicu'' University

  • 1999 - The Arad Industrial Zone has been inaugurated



ECONOMY

With a rich industrial and commercial tradition, Arad is one of the most prosperous towns in Romania. Thanks to numerous investments Arad has a booming economy.

The main industries are: freight and passenger railcars, clothing and textiles, food industry, furniture and accessories for furniture, equipment for car industry, electric components, meters, shoes industry.


Transport

Arad is the most important trans- European road and rail transportation junction point in western Romania, included in the 4th Pan-European Corridor linking Western Europe to South-Eastern European and Middle East countries
The International Airport with a Cargo Terminal, is situated only at 4 km from the civic centre of Arad.


Employees

  • Industry - 41,5%

  • Commerce - 13,75%

  • Transport and telecommunications - 9,27%

  • Constructions - 7,92%

  • Education - 5,99%

  • Health and social services- 5,14%

  • Utilities - 3,16%

  • Public administration- 2,28%

  • Agriculture - 1,97%

  • Credit and Insurance Institutions- 1,70%



SOME TOURIST ATTRACTIONS




Architectural monuments



Historical buildings

Some buildings, where history is animated.
  • '' The House with Cannon Balls'', built in 1800 . Its name derives from the fights between 1848 - 1849 . Seventeen cannon balls are incorporated in its walls.

  • ''The High Teacher Training School (Clădirea Preparandiei) '', the first school of Romanian language teachers from Transylvania, 1812

  • ''The House with the Padlock'', built in 1815

  • ''The Old Theatre (Hirschl)'', built by Jacob Hirschl in 1817 , is the oldest stone theatre of Romania

  • '' Water Tower'', built in 1896 , ''medieval dungeon'' architectonic style

  • '' The Old Custom House'', built in 1907 , it was used as customs point for goods entrance on the Arad markets



Monuments

  • ''The Statue of St. John of Nepomuk'', raised 1729 , Baroque sculpture

  • ''The monument of the Saint Trinity'', raised in 1746 , to remember the plague that swept the town in 1738 - 1740

  • ''The alley of the Arad's personalities'' - Alexandru D. Xenopol, George Coşbuc, Petre Pipoş, Ioan Russu Şirianu, Gheoghe Popa of Teiuş, Mircea V. Stănescu

  • ''Reconcilement Park''

  • --- ''The Statue of Liberty'', raised in 1890 by György Zala in the memory of heroes of the Hungarian revolutionary army

  • --- '' The Arch Of Triumph '', raised in 2004 by Ioan Bolborea in the memory of the heroes of 1848 - 1849 Romanian Revolution

  • '' Martyrs Cross '', raised in 1936 , in the memory of martyr priests from november 1918 - spring 1919

  • ''The Bust of Vasile Goldiş'' ( 18621934 ) - The coryphaeus of Romania

  • ''The Bust of Moise Nicoară'' ( 17841861 )




Religious tourism



Museums and Exhibitions

  • Museum Complex from Arad

  • --- History department

  • --- Nature Sciences Department

  • --- Art Department

  • ''Vasile Goldiş'' Memorial Museum

  • ''Doina and Baruţu Arghezi'' Art Colection

  • Delta Gallery, with three major events of Arad artistic life: The International Biennial Drawing Saloon, The Biennial Small Sculpture Saloon, The Annual Art Saloon.

  • Alfa Gallery

  • Clio Gallery

  • Water Tower Gallery

  • Takács Gallery

  • Carola's Gallery

  • Expo Arad, The Exhibition Centre of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of the County of Arad.



Pleasure Tourism

  • ''Neptun'' Swimming Place, one of the most beautiful places of amusement of this kind in Romania

  • The Mureş Embankment

  • The Grove

  • The Ceala Forest with ''Moltăreţ'' Lake and Mureş Isle

  • The Vladimirescu Forest

  • Ghioroc Lake

  • Miniş - Măderat Vineyard, situated at about 30 kilometers East of Arad




EXTERNAL RELATIONS


Sister cities



Partner cities



REFERENCES




EXTERNAL LINKS