Valletta experiences - History of Valletta

The capital of Malta is UNESCO heritage city. Attractions include various museums, churches,  palaces, gardens and more.   The most interesting buildings of the city include the Grand master palace, the Auberge of Castille, the Manoel Theathre, St John’s Cathedral, the National Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Museum of Archaeology.



History of Valletta

The foundation stone of Valletta was laid by the Grandmaster of the Order of Saint John, Jean Parisot de la Valette, on 28 March 1566; The Order decided to found a new city on the Xiberras peninsula just after the end of the Siege of Malta in 1565, so as to fortify the Order's position in Malta, effectively binding the Knights to the island. The city was designed by Francesco Laparelli, while many of the most important buildings were built by Gerolamo Cassar. Valletta, hence, is an urban area which boasts many buildings from the 16th century and onwards, but most of them were built during the time of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. On 28 March 1566, the building of the city was inaugurated, with La Valette himself placing the first stone, where there is now the Church of Our Lady of Victories. The city's plan was somewhat new to the Maltese Islands, as while other towns and cities had irregular winding streets and alleys, the new city had a rectangular design, without any Collacchio, that is an area restricted for important buildings. The streets were to be wide and straight, with the one in the middle starting from the City Gate and ending up at Fort Saint Elmo on the other end. Some of the bastions were to be 153 feet  tall. Unfortunately, La Valette never saw the completion of the city, as he died on 21 August 1568, aged 74. He was buried in the church of Our Lady of the Victories, but after the St. John's Co-Cathedral was built, his remains were taken there. His tomb is now surrounded by those of the rest of the Grand Masters. After the Knights and the brief French interlude, the next building boom in Valletta occurred during the British rule. Gates were widened, buildings demolished and rebuilt, houses widened and civic projects installed; however, the whole city and its infrastructure were damaged by air raids in World War II, notably losing its majestic opera house constructed at the city entrance in the 19th century.