Brăila [key], city, SE Romania, in Walachia, on the Danube River. The chief grain-shipping port of Romania, it is also a major industrial and commercial city. Machinery, metals, foodstuffs, and textiles are the principal products. Brăila probably dates from Greek times. It was burned by the Turks in 1462 and by Stephen the Great of Moldavia in 1470. Taken by the Turks c.1550, it played an important role in the Russo-Turkish Wars (18th cent.) and was captured several times by Russian forces. The Treaty of Adrianople (1829) awarded the city to the Romanian principality of Walachia. The Cathedral of St. Michael, a state theater, and an art museum are in Brăila.
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