Arad
Romania's western gate where empires built fortresses to control the Mures River crossing and Europe's first petrol railcars were manufactured.
Arad County exists because the Mures River created a gateway and empires competed to control it. Located where the Apuseni Mountains meet the plain, Arad became a transit point between Hungary and Transylvania that every major power sought: the Kingdom of Hungary established the county in the 11th-12th century, Ottomans made it a frontier after 1699, and Habsburgs built a massive Vauban-style fortress when the Mures became the imperial border. The city hosted one of Europe's first music conservatories, early normal schools, and Hungary's first automobile factory - the Weitzer Wagon Factory produced Europe's first successful petrol-driven railcars from 1903. In 1834, Emperor Francis I declared Arad a "free royal town," accelerating industrial development. The multicultural heritage reflects rule by Hungarians, Germans, Jews, Serbs, Bulgarians, and Czechs before becoming Romanian in 1920. Art Nouveau and Baroque architecture from the Habsburg era fills the old town. Agriculture dominates the plains - cereals, vineyards, fruit cultivation - while industry diversified in the city. Today Arad's position as Romania's western gate to Hungary maintains its historical transit function. By 2026, cross-border economic integration and automotive heritage will shape development.