Valletta

Valletta owes its existence to the Knights of St John, who planned the city as a refuge to care for injured soldiers and pilgrims during the Crusades in the 16th century. Until the arrival of the Knights, Mount Sceberras, on which Valletta stands, was an arid tongue of land.

No building stood on its bare rocks except for a small watch tower, called St Elmo. Grand Master La Valette, the gallant hero of the Great Siege of 1565, soon realised that if the Order was to maintain its hold on Malta, it had to provide adequate defences. Therefore, he drew up a plan for a new fortified city on the Sceberras peninsula.

Fast forward a few centuries and the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen came under another siege in the shape of World War II which brought havoc to Malta. The scars of the
war are visible to this day at the site previously occupied by the former Royal Opera House in the heart of the city.

Valletta, the smallest capital of the European Union, is now the island’s major commercial and financial centre and is visited daily by throngs of tourists eager to experience the city’s rich history.

Mayor

Dr Alexiei Dingli 31 South Street Valletta VLT11 Malta alexiei@um.edu.mt + 356 21 251397 + 356 21 234323 http://www.cityofvalletta.org/