Former Brăila Administrative Palace (Fostul Palat Administrativ al Brăilei) is a historic government building constructed in 1891 in central Brăila. Originally housing the county prefecture and courts, it now serves as the headquarters of the Faculty of Engineering and Agronomy of the Lower Danube University of Galați.
During the late nineteenth century, Brăila’s rapid commercial development placed increasing demands on its public administration, while the prefecture and courts were still operating from rented premises. In 1882, the County Council called for a permanent headquarters that could accommodate both institutions. Plans began to take shape in 1887, but difficulties acquiring a suitable site delayed the project. After an attempt to secure land elsewhere in the city fell through, the authorities proceeded with construction on Calea Călărașilor, where the palace was completed in 1891.
The building was designed in an academic architectural style with Neoclassical and eclectic details, with architect Lorenzo Costa involved in supervising the construction. Its long, two-story facades are arranged around a prominent central entrance, with regularly spaced windows, decorative surrounds, rusticated masonry, and a substantial cornice. Inside, the ground floor accommodated the tribunal, prosecutor’s office, investigating magistrates, and lawyers, while the upper floor housed the prefecture and other county administrative services.
The palace also hosted official ceremonies and receptions, including a visit by Crown Prince Carol in January 1915 for the oath-taking ceremony of the local Vlad Țepeș Scout Legion. It later accommodated administrative offices during the communist period, until Brăila’s local and county authorities moved into the new Administrative Palace on Independence Square in 1980.
The former palace was renovated in 1992 for higher education and now houses the Faculty of Engineering and Agronomy of the Lower Danube University of Galați, with teaching rooms and administrative offices in the historic building.
