Arad: the star fortress on the Mureș

On the Mureș River, Arad houses a star-shaped fortress among Central Europe's best-preserved, built by the Habsburgs in the eighteenth century.

The center, with its star-shaped fortress on the Mureș River, is comfortably explored on foot.

The Fortress of Arad, shaped like a six-pointed star, remains one of the best-preserved Austro-Hungarian military fortifications in Europe, still partially in military use today.

A few steps away, the Old Theater of Arad, in neoclassical style, hosted concerts by celebrated composers such as Johann Strauss and Franz Liszt in the nineteenth century.

Walking along the Mureș river leads through the historic center, with Art Nouveau and Secessionist palaces built during the city's period of greatest economic prosperity.

Toward evening, Revolution Square animates with restaurants and cafés in the heart of the old city.

The Arad Fortress, built in the eighteenth century according to the most modern principles of Vauban military engineering, was never conquered by force throughout its history – a rare distinction for a European fortification.

Arad hosted concerts personally conducted by Franz Liszt and Johann Strauss Jr. in the nineteenth century, a musical legacy the city celebrates today with well-attended annual classical music festivals.