Gżira

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Gżira
(Il-Gżira)
coat of arms map
coat of arms
Attard Balzan Birkirkara Birżebbuġa Cospicua Dingli Fgura Floriana Fontana Għajnsielem Għajnsielem Għarb Għargħur Għasri Għaxaq Gudja Gżira Ħamrun Iklin Kalkara Kerċem Kirkop Lija Luqa Marsa Marsaskala Marsaxlokk Mdina Mellieħa Mġarr Mosta Mqabba Msida Mtarfa Munxar Qala Naxxar Paola Pembroke Pietà Nadur Qormi Qrendi Rabat Safi San Ġiljan San Ġwann San Lawrenz San Pawl il-Baħar Sannat Santa Luċija Santa Venera Senglea Siġġiewi Sliema Swieqi Tarxien Ta’ Xbiex Valletta Victoria Vittoriosa Xagħra Xewkija Xgħajra Żabbar Żebbuġ Żebbuġ Żejtun Żurrieqmap
About this picture
Basic data
State : Malta
Gzejjer : Malta Majjistral (Northwest Malta)
Distretti : Northern Harbor
Area : 0.972,219 km²
Residents : 11,669
(December 31, 2018)
Population density : 12,002 inhabitants / km²
ISO 3166-2 : MT-12
Postal code : GZR 1040-1723, 3010-3019
(Manoel Island)
Website : http://gzira.lc.gov.mt/
politics
Mayor : Conrad Borg Manché ( PL )

Coordinates: 35 ° 54 '  N , 14 ° 30'  E

Gżira [ ˈɡzɪːrɐ ] (or il-Gżira ) is a city in northeastern Malta , between Msida and Sliema and bordering Ta 'Xbiex , with a well-known marina and various foreign embassies. The Maltese word Gżira means "island" in German. The city was named after the island of Manoel ( Manoel Island ), which is adjacent to the city, in Marsamxett Harbor . The lake promenade of Gżira is known for the breathtaking view of the city walls of Valletta , which - illuminated at night - form a picturesque background for Manoel Island, the marina and the park on the lake promenade.

Manoel Island

Manoel Island was originally known as l 'Isola del Vescovo or il-Gżira tal-Isqof ( Eng .: Bishop 's Island ). In 1643, Jean de Lascaris-Castellar , Grand Master of the Order of Malta , built a quarantine hospital ( lazzaretto ) on the island to prevent the regular introduction of plague and cholera from foreign ships. The island was connected to the beach with a small bridge early on.

Fort Manoel
View of Gżira

The island was renamed after Antonio Manoel de Vilhena , a Portuguese Grand Master of the Order of Malta, under whose leadership Fort Manoel was built in 1726 . This Fort Manoel is considered the pearl of military architecture of the 18th century. The original plans of the fort are attributed to Louis d'Augbigne Tigné and are said to have been modified by his friend and associate Charles F. Mondion, who is buried in the crypt under Fort Manoel. The knights once planned a walled city on Manoel Island, but instead left it with a fort built to house 500 soldiers. The fort has a square plan, parade ground and arcades, and once there was a baroque chapel dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua was consecrated.

During World War II , Manoel Island and its fort were used as a naval base by the Royal Navy and were often referred to as HMS Talbot or MS Phenicia . The Antoniuskapelle was destroyed in a bomb attack by the German air force in March 1942.

There is a somewhat curious reserve for ducks and other waterfowl on Manoel Island immediately after the bridge, which is created and maintained by a resident and maintained through private donations.

Extensive restoration and renovation work has been carried out on the historic fort since November 2006 and a new settlement is being built on Manoel Island. The "Manoel Island Redevelopment Project" is heavily criticized because it provides for private houses in the immediate vicinity of the most important historical buildings on the island. About 300 m after the bridge, access to the rest of the island is denied by a guarded barrier.

Brief outline of the story

In the middle of the 19th century, Chevalier Jacob Tagliaferro started building the first houses in Gżira. Gżira became known as a city for the working class and suffered the influence of prostitution along its main streets. In the past decade, much of the old homes have been demolished and new luxury condominiums have been built. Gżira lost much of the charm and character of the houses on the lake promenade; In the narrow streets of the old town you can still find examples of traditional Maltese house facades with their closed, wooden balconies ( Gallerija ) and the wrought-iron, arched balcony grilles . The construction of luxury apartments in Gżira led to inflation in house prices as both Maltese and foreign buyers became increasingly interested in the city. The main reason for this is its location not far from the university and from the capital city of Valletta . Service companies, mainly car workshops, supermarkets and private schools, are the main employers in the city, even if Gżira is still seen today as a transition to its neighboring town Sliema . Gżira is also home to the Stella Maris College, a private school for boys run by the De la Salle Order .

The social stigma of prostitution is starting to disappear, but there is still a small red light district on Gżira seafront. Even so, the crime rate is very low and the city is generally as safe as the rest of Malta.

Gżira became its own parish in the Archdiocese of Malta in 1921 .

Sights in Gżira

Harbor promenade
  • The shopping street "The Strand"
  • Marina with the adjacent parks
  • Council of Europe memorial
  • Fort Manoel
  • Parish Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
  • Stella Maris College, a private school for boys
  • Empire Stadium (no longer in use)

religion

Catholic parish church
Gżira Baptist Church

Catholic Church

Since 1921 there has been a Roman Catholic parish in Gżira ; Dun Anton Manché became its first priest ( Kapillan ). The second pastor in the history of the community of Dun Karlu Manché, a man who is considered a saint by many residents. The parish church of Gżira is Mary of Mount Carmel dedicated to (Our Lady of Mount Carmel); the annual patronage festival is celebrated on July 16 .

The parish church of Gżira is also called " tal-Ġebla " ( Eng .: made of stone) by the locals , which can be traced back to an old legend: on July 10, 1902, two drunken sailors threw stones at the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel attached to a bar owned by a certain Carmel Brincat. The pub was closed and the sailors wanted in at all costs. When Brincat refused to open, they started throwing stones at the house. One of the stones also hit the image of Mary. The glass of the frame broke, but the stone did not touch the picture itself and it remained undamaged. Despite the strong wind, the stone got stuck in the glass. It was removed and taken to the parish church of Stella Maris in Sliema . Services and prayers were performed as penance. The frame, the broken glass and the stone that was thrown on the image of Mary can be seen today in the parish church of Gżira.

In the area of ​​Fort Manoel there is a chapel dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua .

Protestant churches

The Baptist Church in Malta is also located in Gzira .

Sports

Malta's water sports association Aquatic Sports Association of Malta is based in Gżira. The city is also home to the Gżira United football club , which finished 7th in the Maltese Premier League in the 2016/17 season .

Town twinning

Gżira has partnerships with the Greek city of Glyfada and the Polish city of Wałbrzych .

sons and daughters of the town

Web links

Commons : Gżira  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ StatDB of the National Statistics Office Malta , accessed on August 1, 2020
  2. ↑ Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints , accessed on December 11, 2017