Discover Bata: Village Museum, Traditions and History

History and Culture

Bata has been documented since 1367. It is possible that the village was founded as early as the 13th century. The parish church of Bata, “Sfinții Apostoli Petru și Pavel”, was built in 1942 and is dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

At the Banat Village Museum, the Casa din Bata from Arad County is a cultural and historical attraction. The Casa de la Bata at the Banat Village Museum dates from the second half of the 18th century. The two-room wooden building has a stone foundation, a continuous veranda and a thatched roof. In 1970, when the Banat Village Museum was founded, the Casa de la Bata was moved there.

Traditions

Traditional women’s dress in Bata includes a coin necklace worn on the head and a Spăcel blouse with large floral motifs known as “pui tablă”. A red sheepskin coat is characteristic of traditional men’s dress in Bata. Bata’s former Christmas tradition included 365 carols, with a separate carol dedicated to each day.

Making plum brandy was one of the most important activities of Bata’s villagers in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Archaeology

The archaeological monuments of Bulci in the municipality of Bata include the ruins of a Benedictine abbey dating from the 13th to the 16th century. The archaeological complex of Bulci in the municipality of Bata includes an early medieval fortress called “Cetate”. The complex also includes a Roman fort called “Castru”, dated to the 2nd to 4th centuries.

The Mocsonyi complex in Bulci, in the municipality of Bata south of the Mureș River, comprises the manor house, a greenhouse, the former employees’ building and additional outbuildings. The Mocsonyi complex in Bulci includes an extensive dendrological park with significant tree species.

Find more places here: Ghioroc, Buteni, Hălmăgel, Arad, Şilindia, Șagu, Căprioara and Vladimirescu.

Landscape

The municipality of Bata lies in the transition zone between the Lipova Plateau and the Mureș floodplain, in the Brănișca–Păuliș corridor. The very high foundations of old houses in Bata are associated with the village’s location in the regularly flooded Mureș floodplain.

At house no. 274 in Bata stands a wooden house made entirely using an axe. The wooden house at house no. 274 in Bata has a thatched roof.

Festivals

Ruga de la Bata is a religious festival dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and also a community gathering at which families, relatives, friends and guests are welcomed. Traditionally, the Ruga takes place on the first Sunday after the end of Lent.

An annual two-day folk-rock programme takes place in Bulci on a stage near Castelul Mocioni, evoking the flower-power atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s.

Geographical Context

Batuta railway station is 6 km from Bata. The local Arad–Bata road connects the municipality of Bata with Arad, the county seat.

To the higher-level travel overview: Arad.