Wied Iż-Żurrieq Tower

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The Wied Iż-Żurrieq Tower or Sciuta Tower

The Wied Iż-Żurrieq Tower , also Sciuta Tower ( Maltese Torri ta 'Xuta ), Sciutu Tower ( Torri ta' Xutu ), Italian Torri Sciuto , is a former watchtower on the Maltese main island of Malta . It stands near the village of Wied Iż-Żurrieq in the territory of the municipality of Qrendi . The tower is a Grade 1 listed building and is listed in the National Inventory of Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands under the number 1388.

history

The Wied Iż-Żurrieq Tower was built in 1638 as the last of the Lascaris Towers . Like the St George's Tower , it probably served as a model for the De Redin Towers , those towers that the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Martin de Redin, had built in 1658 and 1659. The building retained its function as a watchtower until the late 19th century.

During the Second World War , the tower served the coast guard as an observation post. After that it was a police station until 2002 and then fell into disrepair until it came into the care of the monument protection organization Dín l-Art Ħelwa in 2013 , which restored it and made it accessible to the public.

description

Torri ta 'Xutu (2009)
View from the water

The tower rises on a square base and shows sloping walls in the lower area. Originally the only access was through a door on the upper floor, which could only be reached by a ladder or a rope ladder.

Inside, the tower is built around a barrel vault that is designed to take higher loads such as guns . This vault is divided by a false ceiling, which rests on wall arches, creating two rooms one above the other. The upper one was intended as living space for the soldiers stationed there, the lower, windowless room as a warehouse. A spiral staircase within the strong walls leads from the first floor to the roof of the tower. The roof is surrounded by a parapet that is reinforced with battlements . An opening in the roof served as ventilation. The building was accessed from the land side, while a small window provided a view from the sea side.

Armament

On the roof of the building there is a gun from the time of the Knights of Malta . This cannon was erected in 1792 shortly before the end of the order's rule.

literature

  • Stanley Farrugia Randon: The history of Wied iż-Żurrieq Tower . In: Dín l-Art Ħelwa (Ed.): Vigilo . No. 44 , October 2013, p. 36–37 ( Online [PDF; 3.3 MB ; accessed on April 18, 2020]).

Web links

Commons : Torri ta 'Xutu  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Torri ta 'Wied iż-Żurrieq / Wied iż-Żurrieq Tower. (PDF) In: National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. Sovrintendenza tal-Patrimonju Kulturale, June 28, 2013, accessed on February 14, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b Din l-Art Helwa to manage Wied iż-Żurrieq Tower. The Times of Malta , March 6, 2013, accessed February 14, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b The “Wied iz-Zurrieq” Tower. Kunsill Lokali Qrendi / Qrendi Local Council, accessed on February 14, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Din l-Art Helwa to manage Wied iz-Zurrieq tower. Malta Independent, March 6, 2013, accessed February 14, 2020 .

Coordinates: 35 ° 49 ′ 9.6 ″  N , 14 ° 27 ′ 13 ″  E