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53-568: The summer residence and part of the garden was destroyed by the British military in the 19th century to make way for Lascaris Battery , a casemated artillery battery which was named after the Grand Master who had built the gardens. The remaining part of the garden was destroyed in the 20th century, and its site is now occupied by social housing blocks. The only major remain of the garden is a Baroque fountain in situ . When Francesco Laparelli designed

106-685: A media company. This company publishes the two market-leading newspapers, Times of Malta and The Sunday Times of Malta . The Valletta Campus of the University of Malta is situated in the Old University Building. It serves as an extension of the Msida Campus, especially offering international masters programmes. A church school , "St. Albert the Great", is also situated in Valletta. The Headmaster

159-747: A million visitors since opening. The Valletta International Baroque Festival is held every year in January. Jazz music in Malta was introduced in the Strait Street area, frequented by Allied sailors during both World Wars . Malta's Jazz Festival took place here. Strait Street is also known as The Gut . This area is undergoing a programme of regeneration. The city's dual band clubs are the " King's Own Band Club " ( Maltese : L-Għaqda Mużikali King's Own ) and "La Valette National Philharmonic Society" ( Maltese : Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika Nazzjonali La Valette ). Valletta

212-480: A public art installation, Kif Jgħid il-Malti (Maltese Sayings ), which featured a number of Maltese language proverb figured in gypsum, in order to engage linguistic heritage. Saint James Cavalier , originally a raised gun platform, was converted into a Centre of Creativity in the year 2000 as part of Malta's Millennium Project. It now houses a small theatre, a cinema, music rooms and art galleries. Various exhibitions are regularly held there. It has welcomed over

265-566: A rectangular grid plan , and without any collacchio (an area restricted for important buildings). The streets were designed to be wide and straight, beginning centrally from the City Gate and ending at Fort Saint Elmo (which was rebuilt) overlooking the Mediterranean; certain bastions were built 47 metres (154 ft) high. His assistant was the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar , who later oversaw

318-541: A share of just under 50 percent of Malta. As in Malta as a whole, tourism is an important economic sector. The most important tourist zone is the area surrounding the Grand Harbour. For the cruise industry, after several years of planning, work began in 2002 to build the Valletta Waterfront Project, a cruise terminal, in the Grand Harbour. There is also a publishing house in Valletta, Allied Newspapers Ltd.,

371-680: A sheltered place. Some authors state that the extreme end of the peninsula was known as Xebb ir-Ras (Sheb point), of which name origins from the lighthouse on site. A family which surely owned land became known as Sceberras , now a Maltese surname as Sciberras. At one point the entire peninsula became known as Sceberras. [REDACTED] Hospitaller Malta 1566–1798 [REDACTED] French Republic 1798–1800 [REDACTED] Protectorate of Malta 1800–1813 [REDACTED] Crown Colony of Malta 1813–1964 [REDACTED] State of Malta 1964–1974 [REDACTED] Republic of Malta 1974–present Recent scholarly studies have however shown that

424-461: A town began to form between the walls of Valletta and the Floriana Lines, and this evolved from a suburb of Valletta to Floriana , a town in its own right. In 1634, a gunpowder factory explosion killed 22 people in Valletta. In 1749, Muslim slaves plotted to kill Grandmaster Pinto and take over Valletta, but the revolt was suppressed before it even started due to their plans leaking out to

477-409: Is Alternattiva Demokratika politician Mario Mallia. Valletta was designated European Capital of Culture for 2018. The year was inaugurated with an event called Erba' Pjazez (Four Squares), with shows focused in 4 plazas in the city – Triton Square , St. George's Square , St. John's Square , and Castille Square – along with other shows in other points. This was followed by the unveiling of

530-557: Is an artillery battery located on the east side of Valletta , Malta . The battery was built by the British in 1854, and it is connected to the earlier St. Peter & Paul Bastion of the Valletta Land Front . In World War II, the Lascaris War Rooms were dug close to the battery, and they served as Britain's secret headquarters for the defence of the island. When the British took over the Maltese islands in 1800, they used

583-456: Is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 council areas . Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital city, it is a commercial centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the southernmost capital of Europe , and at just 0.61 square kilometres (0.24 sq mi), it is

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636-714: Is the island's principal cultural center and has a unique collection of churches, palaces and museums and act as one of the city's main visitor attractions. When Benjamin Disraeli , future British Prime Minister, visited the city in 1830, he described it as "a city of palaces built by gentlemen for gentlemen," and remarked that "Valletta equals in its noble architecture, if it does not excel, any capital in Europe ," and in other letters called it "comparable to Venice and Cádiz " and "full of palaces worthy of Palladio ." Buildings of historic importance include St John's Co-Cathedral , formerly

689-566: Is the scene of the Maltese Carnival , held in February each year, leading up to Lent . There were no carnival trucks in 2020 or 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic , but trucks returned in 2022. In 1823 the Valletta carnival was the scene of a human crush tragedy in which at least 110 boys perished. Valletta is twinned with: Malta International Airport is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from

742-648: The European Union 's smallest capital city. Valletta's 16th-century buildings were constructed by the Knights Hospitaller . The city was named after the Frenchman Jean Parisot de Valette , who succeeded in defending the island against an Ottoman invasion during the Great Siege of Malta . The city is Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist , Neo-Classical and Modern architecture , though

795-521: The Grand Harbour . The Grand Harbour is Malta's major port, with unloading quays at nearby Marsa . A cruise-liner terminal is located along the old seawall of the Valletta Waterfront that Portuguese Grandmaster Manuel Pinto da Fonseca built. Valletta features a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ) with very mild, wet winters and warm to hot, slightly long, dry summers, with an average annual temperature above 23 °C (73 °F) during

848-507: The Order's Langues , and these were complete by the 1580s. An eighth Auberge, Auberge de Bavière , was later added in the 18th century. In Antoine de Paule 's reign, it was decided to build more fortifications to protect Valletta, and these were named the Floriana Lines after the architect who designed them, Pietro Paolo Floriani of Macerata . During António Manoel de Vilhena 's reign,

901-757: The Parliament House near the city's entrance since 2015: it was previously housed at the Grandmaster's Palace in the city centre. The latter palace still houses the Office of the President of Malta , while the Auberge de Castille houses the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta . The courthouse and many government departments are also located in Valletta. The Valletta peninsula has two natural harbours, Marsamxett and

954-516: The Second World War left major scars on the city, particularly the destruction of the Royal Opera House . The city was officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. The city has 320 monuments, all within an area of 0.55 square kilometres (0.21 sq mi), making it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world. Sometimes called an "open-air museum", Valletta

1007-723: The Valletta Summit on Migration in which European and African leaders discussed the European migrant crisis . After that, on 27 November 2015, the city also hosted part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2015 . Valletta was the European Capital of Culture in 2018. The Valletta Local Council was established by the Local Councils Act of 1993, along with the other local councils of Malta . The first election

1060-651: The Wignacourt Aqueduct . The garden became the focal point of the Valletta Marina, which also included the Church of Our Lady of Liesse , Neptune's Fountain and the Del Monte Gate . The area became one of the most picturesque parts of Valletta, and it was depicted in several paintings in the 17th and 19th centuries. The baroque garden, which included a number of evergreen fruit trees mainly consisting of lemon trees,

1113-610: The fortifications built by the Order of St. John almost without alterations. Under the military theory of the time, the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean was regarded as the most reliable protection against invasion. However, during his time as governor, Sir William Reid ordered gun batteries to be added inside the Grand Harbour , in order to repel any ships which broke through the cordon of Fort St. Elmo and Fort St. Angelo and penetrated

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1166-407: The fortifications of Valletta in 1566, he designed a two-tiered demi- bastion known as St. Peter and St. Paul Bastion on the eastern extremity of the city's land front, overlooking the Grand Harbour . The demi-bastion was too high to offer adequate defence, so in the early 17th century the rocky shore below it was reshaped into a faussebraye (or tenaille ) with a rock-hewn ditch stretching from

1219-467: The triumphal arch (the gate) and two elaborate baroque fountains were designed by architect Buonamici. By 1839, the Grand Master's summer residence housed the superintendent of the quarantine department and of the port of Valletta. The summer residence and part of the garden was destroyed in the mid-19th century to make way for the Lascaris Battery , a casemated artillery battery which was built by

1272-403: The British military in order to defend the Grand Harbour, in particular the newly built drydock . Eventually, case bottege began to be built on the remaining parts of the garden, and the site was fully built up as social housing blocks in the 1980s. Very few remains from the garden still survive. The lower part of a staircase which led to the Grand Master's summer residence can still be seen at

1325-612: The Conventual Church of the Knights of Malta . It has the only signed work and largest painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio . The Auberge de Castille et Leon , formerly the official seat of the Knights of Malta of the Langue of Castille, Léon and Portugal, is now the office of the Prime Minister of Malta . The Grandmaster's Palace , built between 1571 and 1574 and formerly the seat of

1378-612: The Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, used to house the Maltese Parliament, now situated in a purpose-built structure at the entrance to the city, and now houses the offices of the President of Malta . Admiralty House is a Baroque palace dating to the late 1570s. It was the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet during the British era from the 1820s onwards. From 1974 until 2016, it

1431-534: The Knights to the island. The city took his name and was called La Valletta . The Grand Master asked the European kings and princes for help, receiving a lot of assistance due to the increased fame of the Order after their victory in the Great Siege. Pope Pius V sent his military architect, Francesco Laparelli , to design the new city, while Philip II of Spain sent substantial monetary aid. The foundation stone of

1484-509: The Order. Later on in his reign, Pinto embellished the city with Baroque architecture , and many important buildings such as Auberge de Castille were remodeled or completely rebuilt in the new architectural style. In 1775, during the reign of Ximenes , an unsuccessful revolt known as the Rising of the Priests occurred in which Fort Saint Elmo and Saint James Cavalier were captured by rebels, but

1537-571: The Upper Barrakka Gardens and the Saluting Battery were used as “The War Rooms” of Britain's War HQ in Malta. The facility later housed the headquarters of the Allied invasion of Sicily during mid-1943. On 24 December 1941, Lascaris Battery, along with the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the Saluting Battery, were damaged in an air raid. The damaged parts were later rebuilt. A high bastion

1590-577: The Xeberras phrase is of Punic origin and means 'the headland' and 'the middle peninsula' as it actually is. The building of a city on the Sciberras Peninsula had been proposed by the Order of Saint John as early as 1524. Back then, the only building on the peninsula was a small watchtower dedicated to Erasmus of Formia (Saint Elmo), which had been built in 1488. In 1552, the Aragonite watchtower

1643-462: The base of Lascaris Battery. The garden's belvedere has also survived. A fountain from the garden was discovered in 1956 during excavations in the ruins, and it was relocated to Argotti Gardens in Floriana , where it remains today. The fountain has a concave basin with bays divided by Tuscan pillars. Another fountain is still on site. It was restored in 1987 and, according to an installed plaque, it

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1696-459: The bastion to the Del Monte Gate . Construction was entrusted to the local contractor Maestro Xara. This rampart became known as Lascaris Bastion, after Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris , who had commissioned its construction. Soon after the rampart was completed, Grand Master Lascaris requisitioned the site and built a summer residence with a garden there. The garden contained a belvedere and several fountains which were supplied by water from

1749-559: The beginning of the 1860s, the battery was equipped with fourteen 8-inch 9-ton RML guns. In addition, four 10-inch 18-ton guns were stationed on the left flank of the battery. On an additional platform beneath the left flank of the saluting battery were three 10-inch howitzers . In 1884, the battery was armed with seven 64-pound 64-cwt RML guns in the casemates, which were protected by a wall approximately 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) thick. Since these guns were outmoded, they had to be replaced by more modern artillery. A 9-inch 12-ton RML gun

1802-405: The city in the town of Luqa . Malta's public transport system , which uses buses, operates mostly on routes to or from Valletta, with their central terminus just outside the city gate . Traffic within the city itself is restricted, with some principal roads being completely pedestrian areas. In 2006, a park and ride system was implemented in order to increase the availability of parking spaces in

1855-469: The city was laid by Grand Master de Valette on 28 March 1566. He placed the first stone in what later became Our Lady of Victories Church . In his book Dell'Istoria della Sacra Religione et Illustrissima Militia di San Giovanni Gierosolimitano (English: The History of the Sacred Religion and Illustrious Militia of St John of Jerusalem ), written between 1594 and 1602, Giacomo Bosio writes that when

1908-402: The city. People can leave their vehicles in a nearby Floriana car park and transfer to a van for the rest of the trip. In 2007, a congestion pricing scheme was implemented to reduce long-term parking and traffic while promoting business in the city. An ANPR -based automated system takes photos of vehicles as they enter and exit the charging zone and vehicle owners are billed according to

1961-502: The completion of his city. Originally interred in the church of Our Lady of the Victories, his remains now rest in St. John's Co-Cathedral among the tombs of other Grand Masters of the Knights of Malta . Francesco Laparelli was the city's principal designer and his plan departed from medieval Maltese architecture, which exhibited irregular winding streets and alleys. He designed the new city on

2014-478: The construction of the city himself after Laparelli's death in 1570. The Ufficio delle Case regulated the building of the city as a planning authority . The city of Valletta was mostly completed by the early 1570s, and it became the capital on 18 March 1571 when Grand Master Pierre de Monte moved from his seat at Fort St Angelo in Birgu to the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta . Seven Auberges were built for

2067-487: The cornerstone of Valletta was placed, a group of Maltese elders said: " Iegi zimen en fel wardia col sceber raba iesue uquie " (Which in modern Maltese reads, " Jiġi żmien li fil-Wardija [l-Għolja Sciberras] kull xiber raba' jiswa uqija ", and in English, "There will come a time when every piece of land on Sciberras Hill will be worth its weight in gold"). De Valette died from a stroke on 21 August 1568 at age 74 and never saw

2120-819: The day and 16 °C (61 °F). Valletta experiences a lack of precipitation during the summer months and most of the precipitation happens during the winter months. Winter temperatures are moderated by the surrounding sea, as a result, the city has very mild winters and a long seasonal lag. The official climate recording station in Malta is at Luqa Airport, which is a few miles inland from Valletta. Average high temperatures range from around 16 °C (61 °F) in January to about 32 °C (90 °F) in August, while average low temperatures range from around 10 °C (50 °F) in January to 23 °C (73 °F) in August. The architecture of Valletta's streets and piazzas ranges from mid-16th century Baroque to Modernism . The city

2173-561: The harbour. Construction of Lascaris Battery began in 1854, on the site of Ġnien is-Sultan , a garden that had been built by Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris . The battery was thus named after him. During the Second World War , the Lascaris War Rooms were dug under the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the casemates of the Lascaris Battery, into rock. The network of tunnels and chambers located 150 feet (46 m) below

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2226-407: The port, built by the Knights as a magnificent series of bastions, demi-bastions, cavaliers and curtains, approximately 100 metres (330 ft) high, all contribute to the unique architectural quality of the city. Valletta contains a number of unofficial neighbourhoods, including: Eurostat estimates the labour force in 2015 for the greater Valletta area at around 91,000 people. This corresponds to

2279-460: The rest of the harbor area. The Royal Opera House , constructed at the city entrance in the 19th century, was one of the buildings lost to the raids. In 1980, the 24th Chess Olympiad took place in Valletta. The entire city of Valletta has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, along with Megalithic Temples of Malta and the Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni . On 11 November 2015, Valletta hosted

2332-589: The revolt was eventually suppressed. In 1798, the French invaded the island and expelled the Order. After the Maltese rebelled, French troops continued to occupy Valletta and the surrounding harbour area, until they capitulated to the British in September 1800. In the early 19th century, the British Civil Commissioner, Henry Pigot , agreed to demolish the majority of the city's fortifications. The demolition

2385-399: Was again proposed in the 1870s and 1880s, but it was never carried out and the fortifications have survived largely intact. Eventually building projects in Valletta resumed under British rule. These projects included widening gates, demolishing and rebuilding structures, widening newer houses over the years, and installing civic projects. The Malta Railway , which linked Valletta to Mdina ,

2438-423: Was built on the harbour side of SS Peter and Paul Bastion, below the rectangular Saluting Battery . Lascaris Battery has an irregular trapezoid shape with rounded corners. A shooting platform extends from the right flank. A parade ground was located inside the new bastion. Beginning in 1868, the two-storey casemates were converted to barracks , which, as a result, have open galleries facing the parade ground. At

2491-533: Was chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 2018. Valletta was also listed as the sunniest city in Europe in 2016. The city is noted for its fortifications , consisting of bastions , curtains and cavaliers , along with the beauty of its Baroque palaces, gardens and churches. The peninsula was previously called Xagħret Mewwija (Mu' awiya – Meuia; named during the Arab period ) or Ħal Newwija. Mewwija refers to

2544-450: Was demolished and the larger Fort Saint Elmo was built in its place. In the Great Siege of 1565, Fort Saint Elmo fell to the Ottomans , but the Order eventually won the siege with the help of Sicilian reinforcements. The victorious Grand Master, Jean de Valette , immediately set out to build a new fortified city on the Sciberras Peninsula to fortify the Order's position in Malta and bind

2597-468: Was held on 20 November 1993. Other elections were held in 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2017. The present local council was elected in 2019. The local council is housed in a building in South Street. The following people have served as Mayors of Valletta: Valletta is the capital city of Malta, and is the country's administrative and commercial hub. The Parliament of Malta has been housed at

2650-664: Was inaugurated again by Minister Ugo Mifsud Bonnici . The belvedere and fountain are scheduled as Grade 1 by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority . Details of the Baroque garden, including its trees and Baroque fountains are found in British periods literature. [REDACTED] Media related to Ġnien is-Sultan at Wikimedia Commons Lascaris Battery Lascaris Battery ( Maltese : Batterija ta' Lascaris ), also known as Fort Lascaris ( Maltese : Forti Lascaris ) or Lascaris Bastion ( Maltese : Sur ta' Lascaris ),

2703-488: Was mounted on the battery on an open barbette in a very exposed situation. The powder store, with a capacity of 30,500 pounds (13,800 kg), was protected only by 3 metres (9.8 ft) walls and roof. Overall, the construction of the battery was outdated and the installation no longer able to defend against modern artillery. Valletta Valletta ( / v ə ˈ l ɛ t ə / və- LET -ə ; Maltese : il-Belt Valletta , pronounced [vɐlˈlɛttɐ] )

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2756-501: Was officially opened in 1883. It was closed down in 1931 after buses became a popular means of transport. In 1939, Valletta was abandoned as the headquarters of the Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet due to its proximity to Italy and the city became a flash point during the subsequent two-year long Siege of Malta . German and Italian air raids throughout the Second World War caused much destruction in Valletta and

2809-608: Was the site of the National Museum of Fine Arts . The Manoel Theatre ( Maltese : Teatru Manoel ) was constructed in just ten months in 1731, by order of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena , and is one of the oldest working theatres in Europe. The Mediterranean Conference Centre was formerly the Sacra Infermeria . Built in 1574, it was one of Europe's most renowned hospitals during the Renaissance. The fortifications of

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