ALCALA AN AWESOME PLACE : ARAD - keeping up with the times

Arad A Wonderful Town

Arad is the capital city of Arad county , historically situated in the regions of Crisana , and having recently extended on the left bank of the Mures river , in Banat region of western Romania .

An important industrial center and transportation hub on the Mures river , Arad is also the seat of a Romnian orthodox archbishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary and a training school for teachers.

A step back in time

Arad was first mentioned in documents in the 11th century. The Mongol invasion of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1241 showed the importance of the fortifications on this place, to which were added in the second half of the 13th century more stone fortresses at Șoimoș, Șiria, and Dezna. The Ottoman Empire conquered the region from Hungary in 1551 and kept it until the Peace of Karlovitz of 1699.

The new fortress was built between 1763 and 1783. Although it was small, it proved formidable having played a great role in the Hungarian struggle for independence in 1849. The city possesses a museum containing relics of this war of independence.

Courageously defended by the Austrian general Berger until the end of July 1849, it was captured by the Hungarian rebels, who made it their headquarters during the latter part of the Hungarian revolution.

A stepstone in the Romanian History

The town had an important role in the Romanian History especially in the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918. Arad in fact was the Birthplace of the Great Union . The most important figure was Vasile Goldis, the artizan of the Great Union. The day of the union , December 1st is also the Romanian national holiday. Ferdinand I was the first king of all the Romanians.

And today.........

According to the 2011 census, the municipality of Arad was home to 159,704 inhabitants. The ethnic split of the city was as follows: 126,070 Romanians (85.19%); 15,695 Hungarians (10.06%); 2,535 Romani (1.71%); 1,256 Germans (0.84%); and 2,116 of other nationalities (1.22%).

Economy

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

The main industries are: railroad cars, food processing, furniture and household accessories, equipment for the car industry, electric components, instrumentation, clothing and textiles, and footwear.

Tourist attractions

The Ioan Slavici Theatre