Situated at the crossing of the roads leading to
Transylvania,
Banat, and
Wallachia, Lipova had a history full of vicissitudes. It was situated strategically at the
Mureș River's exit from the
defile, and consequently it was an extremely enviable centre. After the
Tartar invasion in 1241 the fortresses were rebuilt, and the lines of the future urban settlement started to get contoured around the castle. Several names of famous historical personalities are related to this castle, such as
John Hunyadi,
Matthias Corvinus,
György Dózsa,
John Zápolya, etc. Due to the continuous disputes, the town has become four times under
Turkish administration (between 1552 and 1595, between 1613 and 1686, between 1690-1691 and between 1695 and 1716), and starting with 1716 it came under Habsburg domination. During the first Ottoman rule Lipova became the centre of the Lipova
Sanjak.
Muslims lived in the centre of the city and were constituted by soldiers or their families residing in the castle and its outskirts. While the countryside and other towns within the sanjak were exclusively
Christian. In the 18th-19th centuries Lipova was a well-developed economic centre with famous craftsmen working here. In the period of the revolution in 1848-49 and in the beginning of the 20th century Lipova became an important centre of political and national emancipation, due to the activity of remarkable personalities, such as
Nicolae Bălcescu,
Vasile Goldiș, , and
Teodor Șerb. Șoimoș Castle has also taken part from the successive vicissitudinary periods related to the historical events of Lipova and to the defensive role of the main entrance gate from Transylvania. ==Tourist attractions==