The Brăila Creation Center (Centrul de Creație Brăila) is a cultural institution housed in the historic Constantin Mihailidis House on Trajan Square in Brăila, next to the Maria Filotti Theater. Administered by the Brăila County Council, it promotes traditional crafts, visual arts, music, and other forms of cultural expression through exhibitions, workshops, festivals, and educational activities.
The building dates from the late nineteenth century and was initially owned by Samoil Lobel, its earliest documented proprietor. In 1895, Constantin G. Mihailidis renovated the property, giving it the architectural appearance that it largely preserves today. Standing at the corner of Trajan Square and Calea Galați, the building has a basement, ground floor, two upper floors, and an attic. Its location places it between two former nineteenth-century entertainment establishments, Rally House, now the Maria Filotti Theater, and Armelin’s Casino, now the Brăila Museum Carol I. The property underwent extensive restoration and structural reinforcement in 2011, when its historic interiors and exhibition spaces were refurbished for cultural activities.
The center’s full institutional name is the Brăila County Center for the Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture (Centrul Județean pentru Conservarea și Promovarea Culturii Tradiționale Brăila), and its work combines the documentation and preservation of local customs with opportunities for artistic education and contemporary creativity. Alongside workshops in ceramics, traditional weaving, painting, graphic art, icon painting, music, and theater, the center organizes exhibitions, craft fairs, competitions, and cultural events throughout Brăila County.
Several galleries within the building accommodate different forms of artistic expression. The ground-floor Art Gallery hosts temporary exhibitions by professional artists, including individual and group exhibitions organized with the Brăila branch of the Romanian Union of Visual Artists. Violon d’Ingres Gallery provides exhibition opportunities for amateur and emerging artists, while the Attic Gallery is used for painting, photography, cartooning, and other cultural events. A Folk Art Gallery presents traditional crafts and objects produced in the center’s workshops, including textiles and woven items, with demonstrations and craft fairs organized as part of its program.
Beyond the exhibitions and activities held at its headquarters, the center organizes several major cultural events, including the George Grigoriu International Music Festival, Johnny Răducanu International Jazz Festival, Chira Chiralina Folk Festival, and the International Cartoon Salon. These events take place at various venues in Brăila, while the exhibitions, workshops, and smaller cultural gatherings at the Creation Center follow a changing program rather than a fixed museum-style visitor route.
