📰 Valletta · page 2

The following people have served as Mayors of Valletta:[56]74

• Hector Bruno (1993–1999) (PN)75
• Paul Borg Olivier (1999–2008) (PN)76
• Alexiei Dingli (2008–2019) (PN)[57]77
• Christian Micallef (2019) (PN)[58]78
• Alfred Zammit (2019–2024) (PL)[59]79
• Olaf McKay (2024–) (PL)80

National government

Valletta is the capital city of Malta,[60] and is the country's administrative and commercial hub.[61]81 The Parliament of Malta has been housed at the Parliament House near the city's entrance since 2015: it was previously housed at the Grandmaster's Palace in the city centre.[62]82 The latter palace still houses the Office of the President of Malta,[63] while the Auberge de Castille houses the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta.83 The courthouse and many government departments are also located in Valletta.[64]84

Geography

The Valletta peninsula has two natural harbours, Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour.[47]85 The Grand Harbour is Malta's major port, with unloading quays at nearby Marsa.86 A cruise-liner terminal is located along the old seawall of the Valletta Waterfront that Portuguese corpus Grandmaster Manuel Pinto da Fonseca built.[65]87

Climate

Main article: Climate of Malta

Valletta features a hot-summer variant Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) with very mild, wet winters and long, hot, dry summers, with an average annual temperature above 23 °C during the day and 16 °C at night.88

Valletta experiences a lack of precipitation during the summer months with most of the annual precipitation occurring during the winter months, and despite the summer dryness, humidity and dew points remain high because of the city's coastal location.89 Winter temperatures are moderated by the surrounding sea and as a result, the city has very mild winters and a long seasonal lag.90

Air frosts and snowfall are essentially non-existent, with the last measurable snow falling during the winter of 1963.91

The official climate recording station in Malta is at Luqa Airport, which is a few miles inland from Valletta.92 Average high temperatures range from around 16 °C in January to about 32 °C in August, while average low temperatures range from around 10 °C in January to 23 °C in August.93

Cityscape

The architecture of Valletta's streets and piazzas ranges from mid-16th century Baroque to Modernism.94 The city is the island's principal cultural centre and has a unique collection of churches, palaces and museums and act as one of the city's main visitor attractions.95 When Benjamin Disraeli, future British Prime Minister, visited the city in 1830, he described it as "a city of palaces built by gentlemen for gentlemen," and remarked that "Valletta equals in its noble architecture, if it does not excel, any capital in Europe," and in other letters called it "comparable to Venice and Cádiz" and "full of palaces worthy of Palladio."[66][67]96

Buildings of historic importance include St John's Co-Cathedral, formerly the Conventual Church of the Knights of Malta.97 It has the only signed work and largest painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.[68]98 The Auberge de Castille et Leon, formerly the official seat of the Knights of Malta of the Langue of Castille, Léon and Portugal, is now the office of the Prime Minister of Malta.[64]99 The Grandmaster's Palace, built between 1571 and 1574 and formerly the seat of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, used to house the Maltese Parliament, now situated in a purpose-built structure at the entrance to the city, and now houses the offices of the President of Malta.[69]100

Admiralty House is a Baroque palace dating to the late 1570s.101 It was the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet during the British era from the 1820s onwards.102 From 1974 until 2016, it was the site of the National Museum of Fine Arts.103

The Manoel Theatre (Teatru Manoel) was constructed in just ten months in 1731, by order of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, and is one of the oldest working theatres in Europe.104 The Mediterranean Conference Centre was formerly the Sacra Infermeria.105 Built in 1574, it was one of Europe's most renowned hospitals during the Renaissance.106 The fortifications of the port, built by the Knights as a magnificent series of bastions, demi-bastions, cavaliers and curtains, approximately 100 m high, all contribute to the unique architectural quality of the city.107

Neighbourhoods

Valletta contains a number of unofficial neighbourhoods, including:[70]108

• Strada Rjali – the main thoroughfare, Triq ir-Repubblika109
• l-Arċipierku – an area close to the Sacra Infermeria.110 Its name possibly derives from archipelago since it contains a number of lanes which break up the area into many "islands" of houses, or from archi-borgo since the area is located just outside Fort Saint Elmo.[71]111
• il-Baviera – an area around the English Curtain, bounded by Old Bakery, Archbishop, Marsamxett and St. Sebastian Streets.112 It is named after Auberge de Bavière.[71]113
• il-Biċċerija – an area close to il-Baviera, named after the slaughterhouse which was formerly located there.[71]114
• il-Kamrata – an area close to the Sacra Infermeria.115 It is named after the Camerata, a spiritual retreat which was demolished in the 19th century and replaced by social housing.[71]116
• Deux Balles (Duwi Balli) – an area close to il-Baviera.117 The name probably originates from the French occupation.[71]118
• il-Fossa – an area close to the Jews' Sally Port and Fort Saint Elmo.119 It is regarded as the worst maintained area of Valletta.[72]120
• Manderaggio (il-Mandraġġ) – an area behind Manderaggio Curtain, bounded by St. Mark, St. Lucia, St. Patrick and Marsamxett Streets.121 This was meant to be a small harbour (mandracchio) but it was never completed, and a slum area developed instead.122 The slums were demolished in the 1950s and were rebuilt as housing estates.[71]123

Economy

Eurostat estimates the labour force in 2015 for the greater Valletta area at around 91,000 people.124 This corresponds to a share of just under 50 percent of Malta.125 As in Malta as a whole, tourism is an important economic sector.126 The most important tourist zone is the area surrounding the Grand Harbour.127 For the cruise industry, after several years of planning, work began in 2002 to build the Valletta Waterfront Project, a cruise terminal, in the Grand Harbour.[73]128 There is also a publishing house in Valletta, Allied Newspapers Ltd., a media company.129 This company publishes the two market-leading newspapers, Times of Malta and The Sunday Times of Malta.130

Education

The Valletta Campus of the University of Malta is situated in the Old University Building.131 It serves as an extension of the Msida Campus, especially offering international masters programmes.[74]132

A church school, "St. Albert the Great", is also situated in Valletta.133 The Headmaster is the Democratic Alternative politician Mario Mallia.[75][76]134

Culture

Valletta was designated European Capital of Culture for 2018.[77]135 The year was inaugurated with an event called Erba' Pjazez (Four Squares), with shows focused in 4 plazas in the city – Triton Square, St. George's Square, St. John's Square, and Castille Square – along with other shows in other points.[78]136 This was followed by the unveiling of a public art installation, Kif Jgħid il-Malti (Maltese Sayings), which featured a number of Maltese language proverb figured in gypsum, in order to engage linguistic heritage.[79][80]137

Saint James Cavalier

Saint James Cavalier, originally a raised gun platform, was converted into a Centre of Creativity in the year 2000 as part of Malta's Millennium Project.138 It now houses a small theatre, a cinema, music rooms and art galleries.139 Various exhibitions are regularly held there.140 It has welcomed over a million visitors since opening.[81]141

Music

The Valletta International Baroque Festival is held every year in January.142 Jazz music in Malta was introduced in the Strait Street area, frequented by Allied sailors during both World Wars.[82]143 Malta's Jazz Festival took place here.144 Strait Street is also known as The Gut.145 This area is undergoing a programme of regeneration.146 The city's dual band clubs are the "King's Own Band Club" (L-Għaqda Mużikali King's Own) and "La Valette National Philharmonic Society" (Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika Nazzjonali La Valette).147

Carnival

Valletta is the scene of the Maltese Carnival, held in February each year, leading up to Lent.[83]148

In 1823 the Valletta carnival was the scene of a human crush tragedy in which at least 110 boys died.[84]149

Feasts

• The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated on 16 July150
• Saint Paul's feast is celebrated on 10 February151
• Saint Dominic's feast is celebrated in Valletta on 4 August or before152
• The feast of Saint Augustine is celebrated on the third Sunday after Easter153
• The city's residents also conduct an annual procession in honour of St. Rita154

In literature and the arts

• The poetical illustrations (painted by T. C. Dibden, engraved by J. Tingle)[85] and (painted by Samuel Prout, engraved by J, Carter)[86] by Letitia Elizabeth Landon were both published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837.155 A further poem illustrates a painting of the procession in the Strada St Giovanni painted by Samuel Prout and engraved by E. Challis is in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838.[87]156

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Malta

Valletta is twinned with:[88]157

• Palermo, Italy158
• Pisa, Italy159
• Cortona, Italy, since August 26, 2022160
• Rhodes, Greece161
• Byblos, Lebanon162
• Piran, Slovenia163

Transport

Malta International Airport is 8 km from the city in the town of Luqa.164 Malta's public transport system, which uses buses, operates mostly on routes to or from Valletta, with their central terminus just outside the city gate.165 Traffic within the city itself is restricted, with some principal roads being completely pedestrian areas.166 In 2006, a park and ride system was implemented in order to increase the availability of parking spaces in the city.167 People can leave their vehicles in a nearby Floriana car park and transfer to a van for the rest of the trip.168

In 2007, a congestion pricing scheme was implemented to reduce long-term parking and traffic while promoting business in the city.[89][90]169 An ANPR-based automated system takes photos of vehicles as they enter and exit the charging zone and vehicle owners are billed according to the duration of their stay.[89]170

Valletta is served by a fleet of electric taxis which transport riders from 10 points in Valletta to any destination in the city.[91]171

As of 2021, an underground Malta Metro is being planned, with a projected total cost of €6.2 billion,[92] centred on the Valletta urban area.172

Virtu Ferries offer passenger and goods services to Pozzallo and Catania, Sicily.[93]173

Notable people

Main article: Category:People from Valletta

Sports

• Valletta F.C.174 Association Football team and Futsal team175
• Valletta Lions RFC Rugby Football Union team176
• Valletta's Marsamxett Harbour a "Regatta" (Rowing) Team, which takes part in the annual traditional Regatta on Victory Day (8 September).177
• Valletta United W.P.C., a Water Polo Club hailing from Marsamxett side178
• Valletta V.C., a Volleyball club.179
• Marsamxett Boċċi, a Boċċi Club from Marsamxett, Valletta.180
• Valletta St. Paul's Boċċi, a Boċċi Club from L-Arċipierku side, Valletta.181

Further reading

Bianco, Lino (2009). "Valletta: A city in history". Melita Theologica. University of Malta: Department of Architecture and Urban Design – Faculty for the Built Environment.

External links

Valletta Local Council

Valletta Living History

Valletta, Malta's capital city and UNESCO World Heritage Site

Old maps of Valletta from the Eran Laor Cartographic Collection, The National Library of Israel