Брэила: История и современность румынского порта на Дунае

City in Brăila County, Romania

Brăila (/b//r//ə/'/iː//l//ə/, also /US// //l//ɑː/, ) is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County. The Sud Est Regional Development Agency is located in Brăila. According to the 2021 Romanian census there were 154,686 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 11th most populous city in Romania and the 9th largest of all cities on the Danube river. The current mayor of Brăila is Viorel Marian Dragomir.

Before 14th century, a small village existed in the place of today's Brăila, probably inhabited by fishermen and small merchants. The village fell to the Mongols during the 1241 Mongol invasion of Europe and it was under direct control of the rulers of Argeș in mid 14th century. In Greek documents of roughly that time, the city is referred to as Proilabum or Proilava, a Greek language adaptation of its Slavic name, Brailov. In German language sources, it is mentioned as Uebereyl. The origin and meaning of the name is unknown, but it is thought to be an anthroponym.

Following the fall of Vicina, Brăila developed as the main harbour of Wallachia, Foreign merchants bringing goods were forced to unload their merchandise in Brăila, as it can be understood from a 1445 account of Walerand de Wavrin. In 1462, Mehmed the Conqueror's fleet of 25 triremes and 150 other ships burnt the city to the ground. Nevertheless, Brăila recovered, soon becoming the gateway for Levantine goods into Wallachia. The Ottoman Empire ruled it from 1538–1540 until 1829; the Ottomans called it Ibrail or Ibraila. It was briefly ruled by Michael the Brave, prince of Wallachia (1595–1596) before it was recaptured by the Ottomans.

In 1711, the city was besieged and conquered by a Wallachian Russian army during the Pruth River Campaign. In 1828, the siege of Brăila took place. In 1829, it was granted to Wallachia by the Akkerman Convention. During the 19th century, the port became one of the three most important ports on the Danube in Wallachia, the other two being Turnu and Giurgiu. The city's greatest period of prosperity was at the end of the 19th century and in the early 20th century, when it was an important port for most of the merchandise coming in and going out of Romania. During World War II, Brăila was captured on 28 August 1944 by Soviet troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front in the course of the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive. After the 1989 Revolution, Brăila entered a period of economic decline.

Brăila is part of the strategically important Focșani Gate.

Accessible to small and medium sized oceangoing ships, Brăila has large grain handling and warehousing facilities. It is also an important industrial center, with metalworking, textile, food processing, and other factories. The naval industry is one of the focus of Brăila's revenue bringers.

Brăila has the following districts: Centru (Center), Viziru (1, 2, 3), Călărași 4, Ansamblul Buzăului, Radu Negru, Obor, Hipodrom, Lacu Dulce, Dorobanți, 1 Mai, Comorofca, Calea Galați, Gării, Apollo, Siret, Pisc, Brăilița, Vidin Progresul, Islaz, and Chercea.

Streets radiating from near the port towards Brăila's center are crossed at symmetrical intervals by concentric streets following the geometric design of the old Ottoman fortifications. The old center of the city has many 19th century buildings, some of them fully restored. The most important monuments are the Greek Church, erected in 1863–1872 by the Greek community; the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, former jāmi during the Ottoman rule (until 1831) and oldest church in the city; the 19th century St. Nicholas Church; the Maria Filotti Theatre; the Palace of Culture and its Art Museum; the History Museum; and the old Water Tower. The latter houses a restaurant and a rotation system (360° in one hour). Still, the city has some landmarks from the 20th century, such as the Palace of Agriculture. Another important site is the Public Garden, a park situated above the bank of the Danube with a view over the river and the Măcin Mountains. Early in 2006 the municipality received European Union funds to renovate the old center of the city, aiming to transform Brăila into a major tourist attraction of Muntenia. The other important park of the city is the Monument Park, one of the largest urban parks in Romania, covering an area of up to The park is home to the Natural Science permanent exhibition of Brăila Museum, hosting several dioramas that depict the flora and fauna of the region. The city also hosts an Armenian Apostolic church from the 19th century, the St. Mary Armenian Church.

Brăila features one of the oldest electrical tram lines in Romania, inaugurated at the end of the 19th century and still in use. Brăila's bus system is operated by the town hall in cooperation with Braicar Company, with four primary bus configurations available servicing most of the city. Brăila also has a railway station.