Arad is a handsome city on the Mures River in western Romania, just 50 km from the Hungarian border. It was one of the most prosperous cities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the centre still shows it: wide boulevards lined with Secessionist, Baroque, and Neoclassical facades that rival anything in Timisoara or Budapest.
The city played a key role in Romanian history. Thirteen generals of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution were executed here, and the Fortress of Arad where they were held still stands on the south bank of the river. The Reconciliation Park now marks the spot with a dramatic sculpture. The Ioan Slavici Classical Theatre and the Administrative Palace on Revoluției Boulevard are the finest of several grand Austro-Hungarian buildings that line the city centre.
Arad is a good base for exploring the Apuseni Mountains to the north and the wine-producing Minis-Maderat region to the east — one of Romania's oldest wine areas. The city itself is walkable, unhurried, and largely free of tourists.