The Fortress of Arad is a star-shaped 18th-century fortification on the south bank of the Mureș River, built by the Habsburgs between 1763 and 1783 on the orders of Empress Maria Theresa. It is one of the best-preserved Vauban-style fortresses in Romania, with six angular bastions, a wide moat, and a complex of interior buildings covering a large area.
The fortress is now used partly by the Romanian military, which limits civilian access to certain sections, but guided tours are available and give access to the main courtyard and key buildings. The cells where the Hungarian revolutionary generals were held before their execution in 1849 can be visited. The Reconciliation Park on the grounds nearby features a dramatic sculpture commemorating the generals, erected in the post-communist era as part of a broader Romanian-Hungarian reconciliation effort.