Besides nice town hall and "Ioan Slavici" theatre and Orthodox cathedral there are houses in Arad, which are carrying the memory of important events in the town's life. I took a short walk to see some more interesting ones from them with my own eye, because I'm also working on a documentary which contains cultural side of Arad city. Let me present some of them to you:
THE HOUSE WITH CANNON BALLS
Also known as The Baroque House or Beller House, it has 17 cannon balls incorporated in the wall. These cannon balls were used during the 1848-1849 Revolution in the combats which took place around Arad Citadel. The house was built in year 1800.
THE HOUSE WITH THE PADLOCK
There are many legends - most popular story says that the person who can unlock the padlock will get the house. It's just a story, 'cause the padlock has no actual mechanism and the hole for the key is only for cheating the eye.
The house was built in 1815 by Iosif Winkler, a merchant of Vienna; it was restored in 1851, date that's carved above the gate. In the corner of the building, in the Plevnei street, there is a niche for housing a trunk put in a metal bar closed with a padlock. "The Iron trunk" was made in 1827, after the Viennese model, the original one is at the History Museum in Arad. Such trunks can be founded in all the large cities where the corporation had important activities, such as: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Oradea, Timisoara etc. The journeymen, before coming masters were obliged to do a piece of work to prove their professional training. Before doing it they were supposed to travel through the country or sometimes aborad. Leaving the town, they went to the trunk and stroke a nail into it.
The House with the Padlock from Arad is also connected to the revolutionary events of 1848-1849. For an interval of time the house was the residence of the secret police of the Austrian Emperor and in the cellar were imprisoned many revolutionaries.
THE OLD THEATRE
The old theatre is one of the oldest theatres of South-Eastern Europe and the oldest stone theatre of Romania. It's been lasting in the centre of town for over 180 years. It was probably built between 1817 and 1818 in baroque style by Jakob Hirschl, salesman of Arad emanated from Vienna. In this theatre is the only rigging-loft (an area above a stage equipped with lifting gear for raising and lowering scenery) of the country. After building the new theatre in 1874 the old one was transformed into property-room and in year 1907 there was opened cinema Urania, which was one of the first permanent cinemas in Romania, and it functioned until 1967. Now the theatre is being restored and that's why you cannot see anything from attached picture but covered building.
THE WATER TOWER
In the center of town existed headquarters of the firemen unit for civilian volunteers, that's why the town's administration decided to raise the water tower there. The tower was built in 1896 in medieval dungeon architectural style (in this context 'dungeon' derives from French 'dunjon' meaning 'tower'), in order to facilitate water supply for the developing town and also in order to signal fires and assure the rapid intervention of the firemen. 35 metres high tower is a solid construction of stone and brick, impresses though massiveness and height. At present, various exhibitions are on the six floors, including plastic art works from the 70s and 80s, objects reminding us of the ways our predecessors used water in the last decades, exhibits referring to the firemen's activities etc. From the top floor you can feast your eyes with a splendid view of the town.
THE OLD CUSTOMS HOUSE
At one end of the Traian bridge, which connects Aradul Nou neighbourhood to the town centre, is a building which functioned as customs point for the merchandise that entered Arad's markets, being built in 1907.
COMMUNIST BLOCK HOUSES
During communist regime in Romania (and elsewhere in Eastern block) were build districts with apartment blocks – in Arad exmple Micalaca, Aurel Vlaicu and Alfa. There are also some in the city center, between other houses that wear "Monument Istoric" signs – hotel "Astoria", cinema "Dacia" and "Ziridava" shopping centre.
Most information references: primariaarad.ro; Force tourism-business&tourism magazine
