Brăila

Brăila, formerly Ibrăila, city in southeastern Romania and capital of Brăila County. An important port on the Danube River, Brăila is a leading center of the grain export trade of the country. Industries in the city include the manufacture of cement, soap, rope and twine, sheet steel, and flour. In the vicinity of Brăila, at Lacu Sărat (Salt Lake), are mineral springs, among the best known in Europe. Brăila was occupied by the Ottomans for nearly 300 years, into the 19th century. In 1835 a major effort to repair the damage caused by the Russo-Turkish War of 1828 created streets radiating in a symmetrical pattern from the center. Population (2002) 216,292.