Download Valletta

The Capital City of Malta.
The Upper Barracca Gardens.
• This is one of two gardens, one
named Upper Barracca and the
other Lower Barracca, facing the
Grand Harbour. Both offer a
panoramic view since they’re more
centered and at a much higher
level. The garden was the gift of
an eighteenth-century knight.
Anglican Garrison Church partly
intredes upon it. The garden is
built on top of a demi-bastion. The
Grand Harbour side of the Gardens
is surrounded by a wrought-iron
fence. The view of the harbour
from this vantage point is
magnificent and many people
spend hours taking it the site.
The Sacra Infermeria The Order’s
Hospital.
• The Hospital of the Order was
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built around 1575. The architect is
unknown. The courtyard and the
buildings around it were added
during the reign of Grand Master
Perellos also built the medical
library for the hospital. The
Cotoner brothers created a school
of anatomy and surgery and
another for infectious diseases.
The Great Ward, destroyed
during the last world war and
since rebuilt, is 156 metres long,
10.5 metres wide, and over 9
metres high, making it one of the
longest rooms in Europe.
The Hospital now serves as a
convention center and many
international conventions have
been held in the renovated and
modernized buildings
The Barracca Lift.
• Until quite recently in history,
lifts connected the Upper
Barracca Gardens with Lascaris
Wharf. The lift was quite famous
and was heavily used by people
who wanted to reach the hub of
Valletta from the wharf without
walking all the way up the steep
streets. The site was also Malta’s
version of ‘Lovers Leap’ before
the lift was torn down. A few
people decided to
• End their troubles by taking a
leap from this location.
Fort St. Elmo.
• This was one of the first forts built by
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the knights when they arrived Malta.
Pietor Prado, a Spanish engineer, was
give the task of building the fort. The
plan was in the shape of a star. It was
completed in 1553. This was two
years after Dragut had attacked
Malta. The fort was completely
destroyed during the
Great Siege of 1565.
The fort was rebuilt by Lapparelli in
1567. Various renovations and
additions were made to the Fort in
subsequent years. These include:
A Fausse-braie by Don Carlos de
Grunnenberg, the Spanish King’s
military engineer.
A triple range of casements by
Chevalier Tigne
Outer bastions by Sir Alexander Ball,
the first Civil Commissioner of Malta
Deep pits with stone lids for grain
storage were also dug in the rock in
front of the Fort.
The Grand Harbour.
• One of the most important
assets that the Maltese Islands
have had throughout their
history is the natural deepwater Grand Harbour.
Through the control of the
harbours of Malta one could
easily control the
Mediterranean Sea. That is
why all the main navel
Mediterranean powers made it
a point to control of the
harbours of Malta one could
easily control the
Mediterranean Sea. That is
why all the main naval
Mediterranean powers made it
a point to control the islands at
one time or another.
The Opera House Ruins.
• The Opera House occupied a whole at
the corner of Republic Street and
South Street. The Opera House was
demolished during a raid in Word War
II. Remains of the building still mark
the entrance to Valletta and some
small shops are located in part of the
building still mark the entrance to
Valletta and some small shops are
located in part of the building facing
Republic Street. The bombed out area
that formed the Opera House is
currently used as a parking lot. The
whole perimeter of the parking lot
consists of the outer walls of the street
level walls of the opera House.
Manoel Theater.
• The theatre was built
during the reign of
Manoel de Vilhena.
Building of the
theatre started 1731
and is one of the
oldest theatres in
Europe.
Bibliotheca.
• The Royal Malta
Library is housed in
the building. It is an
impressive building, in
and out. The building
was designed by
Stephano Ittar and
paid for by Bailli Jean
Louis Guerin de
Tencin.
The Law Courts.
• The new Law Courts,
across Republic Street
from the Great Siege
Square are a recent
addition to public
buildings in Valletta. The
site was formerly
occupied by the Auberge
d’Auvergne. The Façade
of the Auberge was
demolished during one of
the aerial bombings of
Valletta in World War II.
The Sacra Infermeria The Order’s
Hospital.
• The Hospital of the Order was
•
built around 1575. The architect is
unknown. The courtyard and the
buildings around it were added
during the reign of Grand Master
Perellos also built the medical
library for the hospital. The
Cotoner brothers created a school
of anatomy and surgery and
another for infectious diseases.
The Great Ward, destroyed
during the last world war and
since rebuilt, is 156 metres long,
10.5 metres wide, and over 9
metres high, making it one of the
longest rooms in Europe.
The Hospital now serves as a
convention center and many
international conventions have
been held in the renovated and
modernized buildings
Hastings Gardens.
• Hastings Gardens are
located on top of the
bastions on the West
side of the Kingsgate.
They offer a
magnificent view of
Floriana, surrounding
cities and Marsamxett
Harbour at one end.
St. John’s Co-Cathedral.
• On the south side of Great
Siege Square is the famous ‘St.
John’s Co-Cathedral (1673-77),
one of Europe’s finest churches
designed by Gerolamo Casssar,
the first architect of the Order
of St. John. Dedicated to
St.John the Baptist, it was built
as his own expense by the
French. Grand Master, Jean l’
Eveque de la Cassiere as the
conventual church of the
Order. In 1816 Pope Pius Vll
granted the status of CoCathedral, ranking equal with
Mdina Cathedral.
Auberge de Castille.
• The Auberge de Castille et Leon is
the building that greets visitors
arriving in Valletta via Triq
Girolamo Cassar. The auberge
was designed by Girolamo Cassar
but later remodeled under Grand
Master di Pinto, the Portuguese
Grand Master of the langue of
Castille et Leon. The architect,
Domenico Cachia who had studied
in Catania and Lecee, started this
work in 1744, at the age of 44. It
is symmetrical and uniform. The
building incorporates parts of
Cassar’s original building. The
Auberge de Castille is one of the
finest works of the eighteenth
century on Malta. The building
now houses the offices of the
Prime Minister.