Arad Fortress

The Old Fortress of Arad was built at the Austro-Turk wars end, in the first half of the 18th century, due to military technique and artillery development, that made the fortress no longer able to hold an attack.

In 1763 from Maria Tereza Empress ordered the building of a new fortress began, following the plans of the general-major Filip Ferdinand Harsch. The works lasted 20 years – from 1763 until 1783, the fortress being built with bricks brought from hand to hand, in Indian string, from Jimbolia, a brick reaching its destination in 24 hours. In 1784, in Arad fortress the first prisoners that participated to the revolutionary movements led by Horia, Closca and Crisan were brought here. The connection between the city and Arad Fortress was made on the old “Decebal” bridge, destroyed in the World War II and rebuilt afterward. Military activity took place only in the main premises of the fortress, the other activities taking place outside the fortress. The Catholic Church inside the fortress was used for soldiers as well outside people.

For Arad inhabitants, the fortress with the whole limitrophe zone represented a high attraction point with special value. To have a fragment of “secular forests”, as the fortress with its pill box, which showed as a surprise element close to the city center, represented an ideal place to spend free time in a unique way.

Few years after the War World II, Arad inhabitants still had access to the fortress, especially for the church services. After the installation of some soviet units in the fortress, the access of people was forbidden, and the zone around the fortress, the football field, the military cemetery, has disappeared. After the soviet unit departed, the church and the military hospital have been abandoned and left to total degradation, only the exterior walls and the church towers remained standing. The fortress and the zone around it, was taken over by the Romanian army.