Senglea…a long history

Senglea, like the capital Valletta, is located on a promontory in the heart of Grand Harbour. It is the smallest of the Three Cities.
The original city was built during the time of the Knights of St John in the 16th century. Throughout the reign of the Knights bastions and forts were built around the entire perimeter and it was considered the second most important city after Valletta. Under British rule it was a key part of the British naval dockyard, but it was also a key Axis target during World War II and suffered much destruction between 1940 and 1943. It has since been rebuilt and plays its part in the development and growth of the Maltese Islands.
The popular name for this city derived from Italian L’Isola (L-Isla) meaning an island, which basically indicates its geographic structure, nearly cut off by two hills Mill Hill and St Julians’s Hill.
The Maritime Festival has been held in Senglea since 2009, with each edition becoming more elaborate and attracting a bigger audience. The first festival won the EDEN Award (European Destination of Excellence and Aquatic Tourism), it grew to two days in 2010 and was spread over three days last year. It involves the local community and each edition had a different dimension, with a variety of events that drew a wide audience, including families.

Fort St. Michael

One of the main attractions for this year’s edition, is the opening of the Fort for the general public.
Fort St. Michael was one of the three forts defending the Knights stronghold in Grand Harbour during the siege, along with Fort. St. Elmo and Fort St. Angelo.
Fort St. Michael was built by the Knights of Malta between 1551 and 1565 on the peninsula then known as Isla St. Michael. The area is still known as L-Isla but is now occupied by the fortified city of Senglea.
During the great siege of Malta, Fort St. Michael was the scene of some of the most desperate fighting. Although Fort St. Elmo fell, both Fort St. Michael and Fort St. Angelo withstood the siege but the former was massively damaged. Fort St. Michael withstood 10 assaults from the Ottoman Turkish attackers. Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette gave the title “Civitas Invicta” (The Unconquered City).
The rebuilding and development of the fortified city of Senglea after the siege continued until 1581. The name Fort St. Michael became associated with the landward bastion of Senglea from which this shot was taken. This part of the Senglea was largely dismantled during the extensions of the dockyard area during the British occupation at the end of the 19th century and during the construction of the Senglea Primary School in the 1920s. Such school suffered great damages during World War II. It was subsequently rebuilt after the war. Over the years, it has been upgraded and today it offers a pleasant learning environment, with the rooftop boasting a fantastic panorama of the Grand Harbour.

Proposed Programme:

10:00 till 11:00 – Mass at St. Ann’s Gate
11:00 till 17:00 – Knights re-enactments and educational tours at Fort St. Michael
11:00 till 17:00 – World War II re-enactments in front of the Basilica
11:00 till 17:00 – Sight-seeing tours from the roof of the Senglea Primary School