IONEL CÂNDEA
The Reconstitution of the Fortress of Brăila according to Cartographic, Iconographic, and Documentary Sources
Abstract
Built by the Romanians between 1540 and 1546 following the order of Süleyman the Magnificent, the fortress of Brăila was demolished after 1829 (1830–1831) based on the order of Grand Duke Michael of Russia, who used over 3,000 workers from the counties of Wallachia.
Thus, its reconstitution according to all aspects historians are interested in obliges us to consult cartographic, iconographic, documentary, and, of course, archeological sources.
Until 2018, all historians studying this subject considered that the oldest plan of the fortress and settlement of Brăila was dated 1790, and it was authored by Johann Vermatti von Vermersfeld, officer of the Austrian Army. In 2018 Brăila, researcher Mariana Șlapac presented plans of the fortress of Brăila dated 1770, which are stored in the military archives in Moscow.
Keywords: Fortress of Brăila, Ottoman Turks, Russians, Johann Vermatti von Vermersfeld, Ottoman documents.