About Malta - The Walls of Siege

In her book Malta of the Knights, first published in 1929, Elizabeth Schemerhorn wrote that “the history of the fortifications of Valletta is the history of the Order in Malta”.

In reality it is the history of the Maltese archipelago itself which is, in many ways, a history of fortification. Certainly few other islands around the world can so eloquently claim the title of “island fortress”. Fewer still are those fortified landscapes which can boast such a rich concentration of stone-built defenses in a combined surface area that covers little more than 300 km2.

History of Malta
This vast legacy of forts and fortresses, citadels and fortified towns and cities, towers, batteries, and entrenchments, and concrete forts and World War Two bunkers and pillboxes which dominate this rocky and insular landscape bears testimony to the intense periods of military activity that have helped shape the history of the Maltese Islands. Over the centuries, Malta’s strategic location at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, coupled with it’s excellent natural harbour, saw it play a leading role in the military struggle for supremacy in the region. This was accompanied by a nearly continual investment in fortifications, particularly from 1530 onwards when it was transformed into a frontline bulwark of Christendom by the Hospitalier Knights of the Order of St. John and then, after 1800, as Britain’s entrepot and naval base.

Surely no other place around the shores of the Mediterranean can match the diversity of shape and the powerful sculptural features encountered in Malta’s rampants, knit as they are of virgin rock, dressed stone and reinforced concrete. They are truly majestic essays of force encountering force, of grace under pressure. In terms of fortifications, the Maltese Islands are truly unique. This uniqueness has long been acknowledged throughout the course of history.

Malta owes this unique wealth of defensive architecture to three important factors: its geography, the Knights of St. John and the British military. Geography placed these islands in a position of strategic importance in the centre of the narrow channel joining the eastern and western basins of the Mediterranean, rendering to them a unique strategic relevance in the history of the region. It also endowed Malta with an excellent natural harbour, one of the finest first-class anchorages to be found anywhere around the shores of the Mediterranean, big enough to accommodate any size of fleet, and it furnished the archipelago with an easily worked stone ideal for realizing extensive building programmes.

Order of St John
The first to systematically exploit all these features for military purposes were the Hospitaller Knights of the Order of St. John. These warrior monks, who first came together in the Holy Land for the protection of

pilgrims at the time of the Crusades, were responsible for starting the process of militarization that was to result in the widespread fortification of the Maltese Islands. The Knights’ arrival in Malta in 1530 set off an unprecedented building spree, which over the course of the next 268 years, saw the whole harbour area, transformed into one large fortress system with kilometres of bastions, citadels, entrenchments, coastal batteries and towers.

The core of these fortifications is made up of a network of defences guarding the harbours of Malta (the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett), with their nodal point, the fortified city of Valletta, all of which were built by the Knights of the Order of St. John between 1530 and 1798.

This unique ensemble of permanent defences built mainly to the conventions of the bastioned style was then inherited by the British in 1800 who continued to augment and modify it as their naval base, eventually spreading the whole defensive effort to cover the remainder of the island with new important works of fortification, creating in the process a unique island-fortress system. In all, some of the 31 forts and large batteries, five fortified cities, three fortified lines (one of which is 12kms long), over 50 tower and coastal batteries, and hundreds of WW11 concrete bunkers and defences – comprising, together over 60 kms of fortifications were erected to defend the Islands’ urban settlements, harbours and shores.


Are you interested in the History of Malta? There is so much you can learn about Malta. To assist you the Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta is offering a special Malta Military and Heritage Package. Feel free to contact the friendly Team at this Luxury Malta Hotel who will assist you in planning your special Malta Holidays and inform your about Things to Do in Malta during your stay.

Where to Visit in Malta - The Maritime Museum

Malta Maritime History

The Maritime Museum charts Malta’s maritime history within a Mediterranean context and also illustrates the global nature of seafaring and its impact on society. The Museum is situated within the former British Naval Bakery in Vittoriosa. The building was erected between 1842 and 1845 on the site of the old covered slipway of the Knights of St John.

The bakery was the hub of the Victualling Yard and supplied the Royal Navy with its daily requirements of bread and biscuits. After World War II it was converted into offices and stores and as the headquarters of the Admiralty Constabulary. The building remained part of the naval establishment up to the closure of the British base in 1979.

At the entrance of the Museum, one may view the ‘Anadrian Hall’ which exhibits the engine room machinery of the Anadrian, which was a steam- driven grab dredger built in 1951 for Malta. The first floor houses a display on the Merchant Navy and exhibits a collection of detailed ship replicas and paintings illustrating 19th and 20th century vessels most of which served on the Malta run. The nearby St Angelo Hall, the museum’s events and lecture room, is decorated with an array of colourful ship badges.

Organised into thematic and chronological sectors, the Main Hall illustrates developments from ancient times to the end of the rule of the Order of St John in Malta. Navigational charts, nautical instruments and a series of portraits set the scene for the navy of the Order of St John. This display includes paintings, weapons, uniforms, anchors, maps, models and other artefacts dating from 1530 to 1798. An entire room is dedicated to traditional Maltese sea crafts and other objects that indicate popular traditions and Malta’s long-standing maritime vocation. In the Customs Hall there is a variety of standard weights and measures and other objects, including the uniform of an inspector of Marine Police, which bear witness to the importance of Malta’s historic links with maritime commerce and traffic.

For almost two hundred years, Malta was the home of the British Mediterranean fleet. The Royal Navy kept a vast establishment on the Maltese Islands. The final hall presents an overview of Malta as a naval base, and depicts aspects of naval and civilian life, both leisure and work. There is also a wide collection of paintings, photographs, models, uniforms, weapons, instruments and other artefacts that illustrate the history of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during the 19th and 20th centuries and attest to the Navy’s impact on the economy and social life on the Maltese islands.

Should you wish to visit the Malta Maritime Museum during your holidays kindly contact the transport desk at this Luxury Malta Hotel on transport@excelsior.com.mt. Alternatively you may wish to experience one of our unique Malta Tours. 

Things to do in Malta - The Inquisitor's Palace

The Inquisitor’s Palace was erected in the 1530’s as the civil law courts of the Order of St. John soon after the Knights arrived in Malta.

Although its successive occupants changed much in the structure of the building, the Inquisitor’s Palace remains an architectural gem, representative of the chequered history and European heritage of the Islands.

The Inquisitor’s Palace is now home to the museum of Ethnography, focusing on the popular devotions and religious values latent in Maltese ethnic identity and culture up to the present day. Careful historical reconstruction of the palace is under way based on extensive research of documents in the Inquisition archives in Malta and at the Vatican. In addition to the display areas in the tribunal room, the prison complex and the kitchen, which are already restored, there is a permanent exhibition on the impact of the Inquisition on Maltese society. The exhibition studies themes such as the Eucharist, the Holy Family confession, preaching and the cult of saints.

Check Out Our Malta Sightseeing Tour:

Price for 2 to 4 persons: €150.00

Price for 5 to 6 persons: €170.00

Should you wish to experience one of Our Exclusive Malta Tours kindly contact our chauffeur driven service on: +356 21250520 or on transport@excelsior.com.mt.