AVU building now national heritage monument

The National Bank Palace located in Arad, Bulevardul Revolutiei no. 72, at present under the
administration of “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, has been advanced to a category A site
and was consequently designated a national heritage monument. “It is the result of a successful action started by our university which now places this historic building on the list of heritage monuments of national importance. |The Ministry of Culture`s decision represents a definitive gain for the city of Arad which has enlarged its cultural and historic patrimony with an A class building. We will access European funding for this emblematic building’s restoration and consolidation” added Prof. PhD. Ramona LILE, AVU`s Rector.
According to the 2015 list of historic buildings and sites published on the Ministry of Culture`s website, Arad county registers the following A class edifices: the statue of St. Ion Nepomuk, the Fortress of Arad with its defensive moat and inner Franciscan Church, The Neolog Synagogue as well as the “Sfântul Simeon Stâlpnicul -Gai” Monastery.

The building`s history

Erected between 1909 and 1910, The National Bank Palace was based on the plans of architect Jozsef Hubert from Budapest and built under the supervision of architect Lajos Szantay from Arad. Initially the bank was owned by the Arad-Cenad (Arad–Csanadi Gazdasagi Takarekpenztar) railway company and later hosted the Arad branch of Romania`s National Bank. In October 1952 the building is allocated to the National Bank which uses it until 2017 when it is transferred to the Ministry of Public Finance. On the 5 th of September 2018 the Romanian Government approved a draft decision “regarding the handover of a state-owned property under the National Bank`s administration towards «Aurel Vlaicu» University of Arad, itself under the coordination of the Ministry of National Education”.