Wardija Tower
The Wardija Tower , originally Torre della Guardia di Giorno called, is during the reign of the Order of St. John , built fortifications in Malta . The tower stands on the cliffs on the southwest coast of the island of Malta near the villages of Qrendi and Għar Lapsi . In the immediate vicinity are the temples of Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim . The tower monitors a large part of the southwest coast, the offshore sea area and the island of Filfla .
The tower was erected in June 1659 as the last of a series of thirteen watchtowers that were built during the reign of Grand Master Martin de Redin from 1657 to 1660. These towers are also known as de Redin Towers after him . Compared to the Wignacourt Towers , built between 1609 and 1614 , the task of these towers had changed. Much smaller and less armed, they were primarily used as observation posts, from which the garrison in Valletta and other places should be alerted when an enemy fleet approached . For this purpose, the towers, together with the Wignancourt Towers and the Lascaris Towers, were arranged within sight of each other so that optical signals could be transmitted day and night. The closest tower to the northwest is the Ħamrija Tower .
Like all other de Redin Towers, the Wardija Tower has a square floor plan. The side length is around 8.1 m. The tower had two floors, the lower floor has the shape of a truncated pyramid. In the basement there was a larger, windowless storage room. The tower was accessed via a ladder to the room on the first floor.
During the British colonial rule, these towers were initially still in use. In 1813, Captain Dickens proposed that the towers be reinforced and the order's coastal fortifications expanded. However, these plans did not come to fruition. In 1828, Captain Jones of the Royal Engineers suggested demolishing all the towers. He justified his suggestion with the fact that the towers would not withstand a bombardment with modern artillery for long, but an extension would be too expensive. The structural condition of the towers had deteriorated in the past few years, some were in a ruinous state, others needed repair. In 1832, Colonel Morshead, Chief Royal Engineer , ordered all towers to be demolished. Ultimately, demolition was abandoned and the existing towers were handed over to the local authorities.
Individual evidence
literature
- Quentin Hughes : Malta. A guide to the fortifications , Said International, 1993. ISBN 9990943 07 9
- Stephen C. Spiteri : The Knight's Fortifications: an Illustrated Guide of the Fortifications built by the Knights of St. John in Malta , Book distributors limited, 2001. ISBN 9789990972061
- Charles Stephenson: The Fortifications of Malta 1530-1945 , Osprey Publishing Limited, 2004, ISBN 1-84176-836-7
Coordinates: 35 ° 49 ′ 9.8 " N , 14 ° 28 ′ 23.6" E