Arad: River Landscapes, Culture and History

Parcul Natural Lunca Mureșului stretches along the Mureș from Arad to the Hungarian border. Together with museums, historic sites and winegrowing themes, the region offers a range of options for planning your trip.

River landscape along the Mureș

Covering 17,455 hectares, the nature park also includes the embanked river area, which is at risk of flooding. The size of the protected area and its location by the river give Arad’s nature theme a distinct profile. If you want to give culture and landscape different emphasis during your trip, you can contrast this river landscape with the region’s museum and history themes.

Museums, trams and a cave

The Muzeul Tramvaiului Electric displays electric tram cars from the 19th and 20th centuries. It also offers rides on a historic train along the Arad–Ghioroc route. If you plan to take the train, confirm availability in advance.

Peștera „Grota Ursului” offers a different kind of visit: it has 200 fully electrified metres and can only be visited on guided tours with specialist staff. It is considered the only publicly accessible cave in Arad County. Confirm access and tour arrangements before travelling.

Exhibitions and traces of history

The Ioan Slavici exhibition at the Muzeul Memorial Ioan Slavici și Emil Monția comprises three rooms. On display are family photographs, diplomas, awards, manuscripts, books and newspapers. The permanent Emil Monția exhibition recreates his study with original furniture, a piano, violin, scores, folklore collections and family photographs. The necessary space for a museum exhibition was set up in the building of Bohuș Castle.

Arad’s museum history also goes back a long way: the museum of the Complexul Muzeal Arad opened in 1893 as an exhibition of relics from the 1848 Revolution. At the Palatul Cultural, the Complexul Muzeal Arad displayed collections on archaeology and medieval history as well as a European art gallery. This information offers insight into the history of the collections; the galleries today may look different.

For a focus on folk culture, the Muzeul Satului in Moneasa recreates a traditional household using old tools, furniture, vessels, newspapers and folk costumes. Visits are possible by prior request at 0755-830.548. Arrange your intended visit by phone in advance.

Sculptures, a fortress and a hiking trail

The Parcul de sculptură monumentală din Căsoaia grew out of the National Sculpture Symposium, held in summer from 1979 to 1985. Across the symposium’s seven editions, 72 monumental sculptures were created by 57 artists. These figures give the sculpture park a tangible cultural and historical dimension.

The Cetatea de la Șoimoș is documented from 1278. Between 1440 and 1446, Iancu de Hunedoara had the fortress completely rebuilt. For an active exploration, the marked Dezna–Ruinele Cetății Dezna hiking trail offers a different point of interest: it is about 2.1 kilometres long, starts in the centre of Dezna and heads towards Moneasa; the trail is marked with yellow bands.

Winegrowing in the region

The wine-growing area of the Drumul Vinului stretches from Lipova to Ineu, passing through Păuliș, Ghioroc, Covăsânț, Șiria and Pâncota. The Muzeul Viei și al Vinului explores the history of winegrowing and winemaking in the Miniș–Măderat area. The current collection of the Stațiunea de Cercetare și Producție Viniviticolă Miniș is a separate matter: it comprises more than 50,000 wine bottles of different ages, including Riesling, Mustoasă, Fetească, Roșu Burgund, Cabernet and Merlot.

Discover more destinations

Șagu, Săvârșin, Galșa, Căprioara, Ineu, Gurahont, Barzava, Almas, Comuna Vladimirescu, Nadlac, Siria, Hălmăgel, Arad, Moneasa, Curtici, Vinga, Buteni, Vladimirescu, Şilindia, Alt-Petschka, Fântânele, Ghioroc, Bata, Lipova

For the main travel overview: Romania.