Arad Sights and Landmarks Guide, Romania

Arad is an important cultural and economic Romanian city 31 miles from Timisoara and 152 miles from Satu Mare, surprising every visitor with its wonderful places and hospitable people.

Arad Sights - Museums and Memorial Houses

One of the most important museums on the list of Arad sights is the Art Museum, housed by an architectural monument building and comprising both Romanian paintings and sculptures, and Italian, French, Dutch, and Hungarian ones. The event that started the museum’s activity was a paintings exhibition that took place in 1913, paintings that remained there and made up the base of the present European Painting collection.

You can also visit in here the fascinating “Iosif Sarbut” Theatre, Music and Cinema History Collection, a part of the Arad Museum Complex and also the Archeology Museum.

Arad Sights - Natural Attractions

Arad is located on the high plain of the Mures River which crosses the town, and 30 km away from the Zarand Mountains.

The main natural attractions here are the Mures River and its banks surrounded by parks like the Children’s Parks, Eminescu Park and Europe Park.

The Mures Island is another original attraction, a piece of land surrounded by the waters of the river, and dotted with villas and abundant forest vegetation where many locals come to spend relaxing weekends or vacations. Also connected to the river is the twenty-eight hectare Neptune public pool, the largest in Europe, with a great location near downtown and endless possibilities to spend a great time outdoors. The place receives annually about three million tourists, offering daytime activities and abundant nightlife throughout the year.

The city is bordered by significant forest areas like the Ceala Forest and also has a small natural lake, a great place to spend some time away from the roaring city.

Arad Sights - Monasteries and Churches

One of the most interesting churches in Arad is the baroque Serbian Church, build in 1698 by a Serbian captain. The church still holds old books and documents connected to the Serbian presence on these lands. Other important churches in Arad are the Roman-Catholic Cathedral and the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral. “Saint Simeon” Monastery, built in 1760 is also a fascinating place to visit. The baroque building impresses with its beautiful paintings and intricate ornaments.

A living example of a Romanian traditional church is the Wooden Church. The edifice was built in 1724 and has original paintings since 1750 made by a painter from Curtea de Arges. The church was moved from Groseni, a small village in Arad County, to its present location near a local hospital. Another beautiful wooden church is found at Gai Monastery, built in 1760 by Bishop Sinesie Jivanovici. The monastery comprises a church, the bishop’s residence and other outbuildings. The church impresses with its architecture and numerous ornaments, characteristic for those times.

The neo gothic Red Church dating back to 1905 also has a unique architecture, with high towers and intricate ornaments. Its name comes from the red bricks used for building the church, bricks that were not covered by plaster and can still be admired after so many years.

Tourists can also visit the Neologa Synagogue and many different catholic and orthodox churches.

Arad Sights – Theatres

The city has two important theatres the “Ioan Slavici” Classic Theatre and the Puppet Theatre. The first one is housed by one of the most impressive buildings in town dating from the nineteenth century. The Puppets Theatre has an activity dating back to 1951 with about 250 plays acted throughout the time. The theatre also houses the International Festival of Animation Arts “Euromarionettes”, a festival with a great success, bringing together the most important touring companies from Europe.

Another gorgeous place is the neoclassical Old Theatre, build in 1817 by Jacob Hirschl. The theatre housed many performances of the most important artists of those times.

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