Monuments to visit West

A symbol of the city, it was built on the orders of Empress Maria Theresa between 1763 and 1783, on the site of a ^16th-century Turkish fortress. Beneath the foundations of the citadel, an even older fort was unearthed, first mentioned in 1232. The six-branched, three-row fort was designed by Austrian military architect Ferdinand Philipp von Harsch. The building is a prohibited military zone. However, it is possible to wander around in the park and leisure area at the foot of the fortress.

Built between 1307 and 1315 by Charles Robert of Anjou, King of Hungary, it was enlarged by Iancu of Hunedoara (Hunyadi) in the 15th century and served as a barracks in the 18th century. Damaged by earthquakes and battles, rebuilt several times, its current appearance dates back to 1856. The castle houses the Banat Museum, which traces the history of the region. It also includes a natural sciences section. But it has been closed for several years for renovation, with no known reopening date at the time of closure. Temporary exhibitions are organized at the Theresia bastion.

Built between 1114 and 1131, the citadel was destroyed by the Tatars in 1241. It was rebuilt in the ^15th century and then, above all, in the 17th^{and 18th} centuries, according to plans inspired by Vauban and entrusted to Italian architects, who developed a typical star shape. From then on, it became the epicenter of the city and a bulwark against Ottoman invasions. The majestic princely palace dates back to the reign of Gabriel Bethlen in the early ^17th century.

Recently restored, the citadel now hosts restaurants, craft workshops, medieval demonstrations and numerous cultural events. It is also home to the town's museum, whose sections are divided between the different parts of the princely palace. You can visit a lapidarium in the basement, an art gallery, a bread museum, a memorial to the resistance and communist repression, temporary exhibitions... One of the permanent exhibitions is devoted to the history of photography, another to the musical tastes of youth in the tough 1970s-1980s... Don't miss the Griffin Room, the most beautiful in the palace: decorated with stucco depicting fantastic and real animals, it was probably originally used as a reception room. The two adjoining rooms feature superb painted vaults. As for the former moat, it has become a beautiful park, where you can walk along the imposing red brick walls.

The foundation stone of this baroque building was laid in 1731 by Peter Solderer, the mayor of the town, for the German community. The façade, decorated with the town's coat of arms, was restored in 1782 in Renaissance style. Its external appearance was further modified during the restoration of 1935. Near its main entrance, on the right-hand side, you will find an inscription in Arabic, a sign of the Ottoman occupation of the city and which refers to the Turkish baths on which the old town hall (Primăria veche) was built.

This is the only remaining bastion of the nine in the Timișoara fortress, built in the ^18th century in the Vauban style. The bastions formed the third and final circle of the fortification, the innermost. The whole complex was almost entirely demolished in 1892, to allow for the development of the city. Renovated, the Theresia bastion now houses temporary exhibitions organized by the Banat Museum, as well as bar-restaurants, an art gallery and a museum dedicated to the cartoonist Popa (Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

It's hard not to notice this major building, which has stood at the heart of the central boulevard since 1876. Built according to the plans of the architect Ferenc Pekár, the administrative palace has a Flemish neo-Renaissance style. Its clock tower, 54 m high, is reminiscent of Flemish town halls. In the entrance hall, the imposing red marble-covered staircase, leading to a beautiful village hall, features beautiful stained glass windows on the theme of the seasons. Just next door, at no. 73, is the Cenad Palace (19th century), in an eclectic style.

This building, inaugurated in 1913, features a neoclassical façade with Corinthian columns supporting a pediment. The side wings feature Italian Renaissance elements. Inside, a superb marble hall leads to the concert hall. The palace in fact houses the philharmonic, as well as several sections of the județ museum: history (under renovation), natural sciences and the picture gallery. The history museum includes a room dedicated to the 1989 revolution in Arad, illustrated with numerous photos.