Victoria Lines
The Victoria Lines is an approximately 10.25 kilometer long fortification on Malta .
History and course
From Fomm-ir Rih to Fort Madliena , a small geological fault runs across the Mediterranean island. The Order of Malta , which has ruled the archipelago since 1530, erected some observation towers and shelters for soldiers along this line around 1722. When the British occupied Malta in 1800, these facilities were initially forgotten. In the second half of the 19th century, the English began building large-scale defenses.
After three forts were built along the fault ridge in 1875 , they were later connected with a wall, which was completed in 1890. After that, the wall was extended to include gun batteries and accommodation and a fourth fort was built. In 1897 this work was completed and the bulwark was named Victoria Lines in honor of Queen Victoria , who was celebrating her 60th anniversary on the throne.
The wall was intended as a protective wall against enemy attacks, but was never able to distinguish itself, as the British naval superiority never posed a serious threat of attack.
From 1907 onwards it completely lost its importance. The Victoria Lines fell apart over time. On August 27, 1998, they were added - initially provisionally - to the UNESCO World Heritage List .
tourism
Most of the tourists and even many Maltese did not know for a long time that this wall existed. Whoever knew it, often thought of the structure as a field wall , such as that built by farmers to demarcate their fields. It was only through several television reports in the 1990s and the measures taken by UNESCO that the historical significance of the lines became clear to most people. Since then the bulwark has been completely uncovered and partially restored. In some places it is possible to walk on the crest of the wall.
A three-kilometer section between Nadur and the Falka Gap, called Dwejra Lines , is particularly well preserved .
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 35 ° 55 ′ 54.8 ″ N , 14 ° 27 ′ 14.7 ″ E