Vittoriosa

Vittoriosa
(Birgu)

coat of arms	map
Basic data
State :	Malta
Gzejjer :	Malta Xlokk (Southeast Malta)
Distretti :	Southern Harbor
Area :	0.524,472 km²
Residents :	2489 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	4746 inhabitants / km²
ISO 3166-2 :	MT-03
Postal code :	BRG
Website :	www.birgu.gov.mt
politics
Mayor :	John Boxall

Coordinates: 35 ° 54 '  N , 14 ° 31'  E

Vittoriosa (popular and more common name among Maltese is Birgu ) is a town on the northeast coast of the island of Malta .

geography

View over Vittoriosa with Fort St. Angelo in the foreground

Vittoriosa is one of the " three cities " on a wedge-shaped peninsula that protrudes into the Grand Harbor . The headland is bounded to the northwest by Kalkara Creek and to the southeast by Dockyard Creek. On the opposite bank of the Grand Harbor is Valletta , the capital of Malta. At the tip of the Vittoriosa Peninsula is Fort St. Angelo , formerly an important defense post of the Johanniter . The neighboring towns of Kalkara in the north and Bormla in the south connect almost seamlessly . Vittoriosa has 2489 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018).

history

In the early Middle Ages, Birgu was a small fishing village. Dominicans built the Annunciation Church, which still exists today. In 1532, when the Order of St. John was looking for a strategically located capital of Malta, Birgu was chosen, who succeeded Mdina . The Johanniter made the existing St. Lorenz Church their order church, built a hospital and several hostels and erected strong fortifications in anticipation of a Turkish invasion. When the Turks actually attacked Malta in 1565 , Birgu and his Fort St. Angelo played a decisive role in successfully warding off the attack. The city was then given the honorary name Vittoriosa, the "victorious", which has remained the official place name to this day.

In 1571 Vittoriosa lost its capital city status, because the Johanniter had now chosen the newly founded Valletta as the seat of government. Nevertheless, Vittoriosa remained a strategically important defense post, the military facilities of which were further expanded. Dockyard Creek became the port for the Order's fleet . As a replacement for the lost capital city function, Pope Gregory XIII appointed. 1574 Vittoriosa became the residence of the Inquisitors of Malta, who had their seat here until 1798.

In 1681 the Johanniter commissioned Lorenzo Gafà , who had already supplied the plans for numerous churches in Malta, with the construction of the new St. Lorenz Church, which was completed in 1697. In 1798 the Order of Malta had to give way to French revolutionary troops under Napoleon . But as early as 1800 the French were driven out by the British who took possession of Malta. They expanded the port of Vittoriosas for their own purposes and made it an important shipyard location . This was the city's undoing during World War II , when the facilities were the target of frequent bombing raids by the Italian and German air forces. In addition to the industrial facilities , large parts of the residential areas were also destroyed.

In 1979 the last British soldier was bid farewell in Vittoriosa. The "Freedom Monument" on the banks of Dockyard Creek is a reminder of this. In 2005, a marina with over a hundred berths for private yachts was opened in Dockyard Creek .

Freedom Monument

Attractions

• The palace of the inquisitor was built in 1535 and got its present appearance in 1767. In the great council chamber the coats of arms of the inquisitors are placed. The courtroom is equipped with a low door for the defendants who had to enter in a hunched position.
• The 400-year-old St. Lawrence Church is located on the banks of Dockyard Creek , but its facade dates from 1913. A cross that was brought here from Crete as spoils of war in 1657 is kept in the church.
• In front of the St. Lawrence Church is the Freedom Monument to commemorate the departure of the British from Malta. It shows four British soldiers who have lowered the British flag. Next to it is a flagpole on which the Maltese flag is now flying.
• At the tip of the Vittoriosa peninsula lies the mighty Fort St. Angelo , the former Castrum Maris , which was built by the Phoenicians and expanded by the Romans and the Order of St. John. It was later used as a naval base by the British Navy.
• Malta Maritime Museum
• Malta at War Museum

Sons and daughters

• Gerolamo Cassar (around 1520 - between 1586 and 1592), architect
• Melchiorre Cafà (1636–1667), painter
• Michael Gonzi (1885–1984), Roman Catholic clergyman, Archbishop of Malta
• Paul Boffa (1890–1962), politician
• Prosper Grech (1925–2019), Roman Catholic theologian and cardinal
• Miriam Gauci (* 1959), opera singer
• Dominic Cini (* before 1998), singer and producer

literature

• Lino Bugeja, Mario Buhagiar, Stanley Fiorini: Birgu - A Maltese Maritime City. Malta University Services, 1993. 889 pp. ISBN 99909-44-00-8

Web links

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

Individual evidence

1. ↑ StatDB of the National Statistics Office Malta , accessed on August 1, 2020