Home  Useful Information  Towns & Villages

Valletta

The historic city of Valletta with its battlement fascinates with the charm of centuries and belongs to the most beautiful European capitals. Located on a peninsula Valletta was appointed world cultural heritage. Malta's capital is not so much a place for night clubbing, but certainly worth a day trip. The city's historic buildings and beautiful lanes invite to an easy going shopping tour. Valetta is a place to explore culture or to stroll through elegant shops. Valletta also has an important bus terminal. All places in Malta can be reached through this bus terminal.

After successfully defending the siege of the Turks (Great Siege), Valletta was built in 1565. The name got the city from Jean de la Valette (1557-1568). Valetta is seat of government and the main shopping centre of Malta.

Stepping through the City Gate you reach the dignified city of knights. Valletta is structured like a chessboard, flight of stairs as well as steep cliffs are the characteristics of this city, which is under monument protection completely. At Republic Street you find the most famous squares of Valletta, e.g. grand master palace and one longitudinal side of the St. John's Co-Cathedral, the order's church of the Knights Hospitallers and numerous shops.

The City Gate is the gate to Valletta. The actual city gate is at the upper start of Republic Street is a pretty controversial building of 1968. The original gate, made in the 16th century was battered down, as it could take the traffic anymore. During the next few years the city gate and its adjacent bus terminal will be rebuild.

The strategically excellently situated fort St. Elmo, at the peak of the Sciberras peninsula is guarding the entrance of the two ports of Valletta, Grand Harbour  and the Marsamxett harbour. There was already a small fort as the Knights of St. John came to Malta. Therefore they were the first target of the Turkish besieger in 1565. After the total destruction of the fort it was rebuild entirely and guarded the island during the Second World War. This was the best spot to fend off the attacks of German and Italian submarines and speedboats.

Today the Maltese volunteering militia possesses the fort. In front of the walls are huge stony lids covering granaries from the 17th century, deeply cloven into the rock.

In the middle of Valletta is the biggest building of the capital, the Grand Master's Palace, a palace of the grand master of the order. Its two-storey stern façade represents the 16th century style. The wooden bay and corners are from a later century, the baroque portals are from the 18th century.

The palace used to be the seat of governors and is nowadays used as the meeting place of the Maltese parliament and is the official residence of the Maltese president. Nonetheless a few parts of the palace can be visited. The armoury can be reached from Neptun's courtyard. There you will se many well-maintained weapons and armour pieces of the Knights of St. John.

Furthermore you can see various halls, which will display a fascinating journey through the past. The most impressive church of Valletta is the main church of St. John's Co-Cathedral of the Order of St. John, dedicated to John, the Baptist. After the departure of the Knights of Malta it got into the possession of the archbishopric Malta. Pope Pius VII. appointed the church an Episcopal church. It was built from 1573 until 1577 after the plans of Girolamo Cassar. The most extraordinary item of the church is the floor, covered with 375 tomb slabs. Underneath the slabs the Knights are buried.

In the St. John's Co-Cathedral a museum is enclosed, which you can reach through the oratory. The Anglican main church of Valletta, the St. Pauls Cathedral, is a foundation of the British queen Adelaide going back to 1844. It is located at a ragged hospice of German knights, the so-called Auberge d'Allemagne. The 61m high steeple is one of the city's landmarks.

Vallettas beautiful parks are Upper Barracca Garden and Lower Baracca Garden. The park was already created in 1775 on the highest point of the city wall at the St. Peter and Paul bastion. From this place you have the best view over Grand Harbor and the old cities of Senglea and Vittoriosa, the dockyard and the lower parts of the capital. In the parks you find various statues, e.g. one of Sir Winston Churchill.

 Tour Suggestion: Valletta Sightseeing Tour

One day tour through Valletta and 7000 years of Maltese history...

Malta Tours

Contact

Imprint

Links

Copyright © 2002-2012 Malta-Tours.de - All rights reserved

Malta Hotels

Affiliates: