Traian Square (Piața Traian)

About Traian Square (Piața Traian)

At a glance: Monuments and historic sites in Brăila, Brăila County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 45 min. Information verified on 10 October 2026.

Piața Traian, Trajan Square, is the old centre of Brăila and the point from which the city plan is easiest to read: the main streets fan out from here towards the Danube and the edges of the town, and the historic centre around it is a category A historic monument. Before it took the emperor's name the square was called Piața Sfinții Arhangheli, after the church on its corner. In the middle is a small, shady park with benches, surrounded by the town's old buildings, among them the "Maria Filotti" theatre and the "Carol I" Brăila Museum.

The symbol of the square, and of the city, is the Public Clock, also known as the "Danube Clock": a slender sheet-metal tower painted blue, more than 11 metres tall, with four faces turned towards the main streets and a ship painted on its base, a reminder that Brăila was a port. It was raised in 1909 with money left in a will in 1898 by the philanthropist Petru Naum (8,000 gold lei), and the metal structure was made by the Czech firm Carol Sakar. The clock was refurbished in 1968, 1993 and 2011.

The Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel is the oldest in Brăila and one of the few churches in the country without a dome: it was a mosque under Ottoman rule, and after the Russo-Turkish war of 1828–1829, on the initiative of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich, it was turned into an Orthodox church and consecrated in 1831. In communist times, when the square bore Lenin's name, the church was almost demolished; Bishop Chesarie Păunescu defended it for years, and its restoration was completed in 2002.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: Brăila is ~200 km from Bucharest (~3 hours, on the DN2/E85 to Buzău, then the DN2B) and ~25 km from Galați (~30 minutes). Piața Traian is in the old centre, a few minutes' walk from the Danube embankment.

Public transport: Brăila railway station is a few kilometres from the square; from there you can take a bus or a taxi. Once in the centre, the square is visited on foot.

Where to park

Parking around the square and on the streets of the centre is usually paid, in marked zones, by SMS or at a ticket machine; check the local signs. At weekends and on event days the spaces fill up quickly, so it is simpler to leave the car further away and walk.

Fees & discounts

The square, the park, the clock and the statue are free. Entry to the "Carol I" Brăila Museum and theatre tickets are paid separately, at their own rates.

Rules

The square is a public space with a park: do not damage the street furniture, do not drop litter, keep dogs on a lead. In the church, dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and keep quiet during services; take photographs discreetly.

Facilities

Benches and shade in the central park · cafés and terraces around · church open to visitors · museum and theatre nearby