Qrendi

Qrendi
(Il-Qrendi)

coat of arms	map
Basic data
State :	Malta
Gzejjer :	Malta Xlokk (Southeast Malta)
Distretti :	South Eastern
Area :	4,904,386 km²
Residents :	2800 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	571 inhabitants / km²
ISO 3166-2 :	MT-44
Postal code :	QRD
Website :	www.qrendi.gov.mt
politics
Mayor :	David M. Schembri ( MLP )

Coordinates: 35 ° 50 '  N , 14 ° 28'  E

Qrendi [ ˈʔrɛndɪ ] or Il-Qrendi is a small village in the southwest of the island of Malta with 2800 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018). It is located near Mqabba and Żurrieq . The Neolithic temples of Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim are located in its municipality .

history

Historically, Qrendi first appears in 1417 in the militia 's obligation lists, in which 26 households - that is, farmhouses - were recorded; in half of the cases the family names were the same as those still found in Qrendi today. But Qrendi was settled much earlier. The temples of Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim were built in 3800 BC. BC, making them - like other remains from the temple era - one of the first free-standing structures in human history. Remains of graves and catacombs in the fields, as well as other prehistoric finds point to the long-ago beginning of settlement.

In gratitude for the expulsion of the Turks during the first Great Siege in 1565, the Chapel of St. Anna built in Qrendi.

Malta suffered the other Great Siege in World War II , when the Axis powers wanted to bomb the islands until they surrendered. Qrendi and its environs hosted a number of British garrisons preparing to take action against Rommel's forces in North Africa. An airfield was built near Qrendi for the planned Allied invasion of Sicily , and although this site has been reconverted, some buildings and the landing strip can still be made out north of the village. Bombs were also dropped on Qrendi during this period, as a result of which houses were damaged and many people lost their lives. Older people in particular could no longer get into the underground shelters that had been built by the residents. Among the destroyed buildings is the parish church of St. Matthew , which was rebuilt after the war.

Modern times

Over time, Qrendi has slowly grown to a four-digit population; today it is a little over 2500 inhabitants. Until recently, the inhabitants lived from agriculture, quarries and fishing.

The village has changed quite a bit in the last few years with a bypass road and new settlement areas. The bus station and a free space in front of the parish church were created by removing the foundations of an old country house.

The "Council Act" of 1993 made Qrendi a district with its own parish council; Five members are elected every three years and one of them becomes mayor. The maintenance of the streets of the village, street cleaning and parking controls are among their tasks. Larger tasks must be discussed with the government and other institutions. Your office is next to the main square.

Qrendi has its own elementary school and also a special school.

Attractions

The il-Maqluba depression

The octagonal tower in Qrendi

The narrow, winding streets, the houses with inner courtyards, the small fields and the rural rooms are typical of Qrendi. As Qrendi is a long way from the nearest supermarket, there are many shops including an old, wood-burning bakery. Many street vendors call out their wares and fruit and fish carts visit the squares early in the morning.

One of Qrendi's sights is the Maqluba , a karst depression that collapsed during a major storm in 1343. It is said that the little chapel at its entrance was already standing at the time, making it one of the oldest surviving Christian buildings in Malta.

In Triq it-Torri (Tower Street) there is an octagonal tower, the Qrendi Tower , with a sub-post or sub-garrison of the knights to protect the area from looters. Later the knights built a number of observation towers - Qrendi has two, including one in Wied iż-Żurrieq, which served as a police post until 2002 and still has the original cannon on the roof. The other, Torri Ħamrija , stands on the coast of the archaeological park of Ħaġar Qim. When the British arrived in 1800, Qrendi was placed under a magistrate (Luogotenente), and these people were provided with a walled garden for their livelihood. This garden was laid out at the instigation of Sir Alexander Ball , the civil administrator, and is now known as Il-Ġnien Tal-Kmandant .

Palaces and towers

Qrendi has always been a popular place and the Knights of Malta had their summer residences here; There are four of them in the town center, Guarena Palace and Gutenberg Palace are outside.

The Guarena Palace is on the edge of the village . It was apparently a private country house of knight Pietro Roero di Guarena, built in 1740. Somehow it became the property of a noble Maltese family and is still in use as a private home today. It was built in the typical style of the 18th century , when defense was no longer the most important aspect, and at the same time the facade is not overly decorated.

On the coast, near the prehistoric remains of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra, there are two interesting structures. One is a tower that was built in the mid- 17th century during the reign of Grand Master De Redin. It was part of a series of planned watchtowers in the area to send out warnings of any approaching enemies. There is also a very simple monument with a name inscription nearby. It is known as the Congreve Monument and commemorates the British governor who gave orders to bury him in the sea between Malta and the island of Filfla after his death .

Another tower in the area served as a police station in Wied iż-Żurrieq until 2002. This tower was built by Grand Master Lascaris and is called Ta 'Sciutu or Wied Iż-Żurrieq Tower . When you step into this tower, you immediately notice that it was never actually used to defend the area. In fact, there were only four men on watch and their main occupation was watching suspicious ship movements. One of them had a horse so that he could quickly inform the authorities if necessary.

Churches

There are seven churches and chapels in the parish - mostly built on older ruins. When the first parishes were first established in 1436, Qrendi was part of Żurrieq, but as it grew it became a separate parish in 1618; the ornamental, baroque parish church - designed by Lorenzo Gafà , the architect of the cathedral of Mdina - was completed in 1720.

Regular events

The Parish Church of Assumption during the Feast of the Assumption of Mary on August 15th

Two regular village festivals are celebrated every year: The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated either on the last Sunday in June or on the first Sunday in July, while the Assumption of Mary - known in Malta as "Santa Marija" - is celebrated on August 15th. In the first days of July and mid-August, the band organize clubs "festas", week-long religious festivals with music performances, processions, street parties and lots of fireworks. There are also many smaller "fieras" and festivities.

Sons and daughters of the place

• Francesco Buhagiar (1876–1934), judge and politician, Prime Minister of Malta
• Ġużè Cassar (1918–2001), politician
• Gianluca Bezzina (* 1989), singer

Web links

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

Wikivoyage: Qrendi  - travel guide

• Qrendi Municipal Council

Individual evidence

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