Arad
[key], city, W Romania, in the Banat, on the Mureşul River, near the Hungarian
border. It is an important railroad junction and a leading regional commercial and industrial
center. Distilling, sawmilling, and the manufacture of machine tools and locomotives are the
chief industries. Located on the site of an old Roman outpost, the first mention of Arad dates
from the 12th cent. Long (c.1551–1685) under Turkish rule, Arad passed in 1685 to the
Austrians and in 1849 to the Hungarians, who made it the headquarters of their insurrection
against the Hapsburg Empire. In 1920, Arad became part of Romania. The city's educational and
cultural institutions include a theological seminary, a teacher training school, a state
theatre, a philharmonic orchestra, and a museum containing exhibits on the Hungarian
revolution of 1848–49. The 18th-century citadel was built by Empress Maria Theresa.
Arad has a sizable Hungarian population.
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