Before the 14th century, a small village existed in the place of today's Brăila, probably inhabited by fishermen and small merchants.[6] The village fell to the Mongols during the 1241Mongol invasion of Europe and it was under direct control of the rulers ofArgeș in mid-14th century.[6]
InGreek documents of roughly that time, the city is referred to asProilabum orProilava, a Greek language adaptation of itsSlavic name,Brailov. InGerman language sources, it is mentioned asUebereyl.[citation needed] The origin and meaning of the name is unknown, but it is thought to be ananthroponym.[7]
The first certain document mentioning Brăila is a privilege act, given byVladislav I of Wallachia to German merchants of Brașov, who were exempt of customs duties when they followed the road from Brașov to the Danubevia Braylan.[8]
Following the fall ofVicina, Brăila developed as the main harbour ofWallachia,[8] gaining the town status around 1400.[9]
In 1396,Johann Schiltberger writes that Brăila was the place where ships docked, bringing "goods from heathen lands".[9] Foreign merchants bringing goods were forced to unload their merchandise in Brăila, as it can be understood from a 1445 account ofWalerand de Wavrin.[9] A 1520 Ottoman account tells about the arrival of 70-80 ships in Brăila, bringing goods fromAsia Minor andCrimea.[9] The town was also an important center of the fish trade: Polish merchants came to purchase it (1408) and this lucrative trade was taxed by the rulers following Vladislav I.[9]
The town did have autonomy, being ruled bypârgari and ajudeț. We know little about the ethnic structure of the town, but it is expected it was quite diverse, having inhabitants from many backgrounds. One document from 1500 talks aboutMihoci Latinețul, aRagusan who had lived in Brăila for five years and was a member of the community.[10]
much blood was shed, and the town burned to the ground, not leaving even the children of mothers to live, and sliced open the breasts of mothers and ripped the children from them
The conflict was not just political, as the town of Brăila competed against Moldavian town ofChilia.[11] Nevertheless, Brăila recovered, soon becoming the gateway forLevantine goods into Wallachia.[11] The town was burnt again byBogdan III of Moldavia in 1512.[11]
Around 1538–1540, perhaps during theSuleiman the Magnificent's military expedition againstPetru Rareș, the city became a part of theOttoman Empire, being organized as akaza and forming part of theSilistra Eyalet.[11] The town was part of the Empire's northern defensive network and the Ottomans built a stone stronghold in the town.[12]
The Ottoman Empire ruled it from 1538–1540 until 1829; the Ottomans called itIbrail orIbraila. It was briefly ruled byMichael the Brave, prince of Wallachia (1595–1596) before it was recaptured by the Ottomans.
During the 19th century, the port became one of the three most important ports on the Danube in Wallachia, the other two beingTurnu andGiurgiu. 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.[citation needed] In 1912, Brăila had 65,711 residents and during theInterwar period when the population was around 68,000, the city had aJewish population of about 11,000 (16.1%) and aGreek population of about 5,000 (7.35%).[13][14]
At the2021 census, Brăila had a population of 154,686,[2] a decrease from the figure recorded at the2011 census.[18] The ethnic makeup was as follows (as of 2011):
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.
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 theGreek Church, erected in 1863–1872 by theGreek community; theChurch of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, formerjāmi during the Ottoman rule (until 1831) and oldest church in the city; the 19th-centurySt. Nicholas Church; theMaria 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 thePalace 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 theMăcin Mountains. Early in 2006 the municipality receivedEuropean 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 90 hectares (220 acres).[20] 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.[21]
The city also hosts an Armenian Apostolic church from the 19th century, theSt. Mary Armenian Church.
Brăila features one of the oldest electricaltram 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.[citation needed] Brăila also hasa railway station.
Brăila has a deep rivalry with neighbouring Galați. This conflict has a long history and has reached the point of being studied by academics. In fact, a group of Romanian researchers have already published the bookGalați – Brăila. Trecut. Actualitate. Perspective ("Galați – Brăila. Past. Present. Perspectives").[22][23]
^Mihăilescu, Gheorghe (1932). "Analele Brăilei IV:2-3".“Populația Brăilei. Studiu de demografie dinamică şi statică” (in Romanian). pp. 122–124,129–134.
^Giurescu, C. C. (1968).Istoricul oraşului Brăila din cele mai vechi timpuri până azi (in Romanian).Bucharest. p. 276.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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