Valletta - Fort St Elmo
Fort St Elmo, at the tip of the peninsula, was designed to protect the entrance to Grand Harbor. It was built in 1553 under the Spanish Grand Master, Juan de Homedes (1536-63), incorporating parts of a medieval Spanish fortress, which itself had succeeded an earlier Norman fortification on the same site. About the same time, Forts St Angelo and St Michael, were built on the other side of Grand Harbor.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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(The Headquarters of the Knights were then in Birgu, present-day Vittoriosa.) Fort St Elmo was destroyed during the 1565 Siege and rebuilt at the time of the foundation of Valletta. During the World War II it successfully repelled a German naval attack.
Historic and battle-scarred Fort St Elmo now houses the police academy and is closed to the public. The War Museum opened in 1975 and occupies a fraction of the fort's enlarged compound.
The knights hastily built the star-shaped Fort St Elmo in 1552 to provide protection to both the Marsamxett and Grand harbors.
The Turkish armada invaded in the summer of 1565 and the fort was bombarded. St Elmo was rebuilt, enlarged and improved during the Order's reign and was briefly captured during the priest's revolt in 1775. The British reinforced the bastions in the late 19th century and added further gun emplacements in the 20th century.
The St Elmo breakwater, jutting out to sea in a contortion of rusted steel, was destroyed in a daring Italian E-Boat raid on July 25, 1941, before St Elmo's guns sank them.
Historic and battle-scarred Fort St Elmo now houses the police academy and is closed to the public. The War Museum opened in 1975 and occupies a fraction of the fort's enlarged compound.
The knights hastily built the star-shaped Fort St Elmo in 1552 to provide protection to both the Marsamxett and Grand harbors.
The Turkish armada invaded in the summer of 1565 and the fort was bombarded. St Elmo was rebuilt, enlarged and improved during the Order's reign and was briefly captured during the priest's revolt in 1775. The British reinforced the bastions in the late 19th century and added further gun emplacements in the 20th century.
The St Elmo breakwater, jutting out to sea in a contortion of rusted steel, was destroyed in a daring Italian E-Boat raid on July 25, 1941, before St Elmo's guns sank them.
Related Attractions
War Museum
The Lower Fort at Fort St Elmo houses a War Museum, with relics of the two world wars, including one of the Gladiator fighters, which defended Malta during World War II.
The entrance is by the east end of the French Curtain. The museum houses a small and poignant collection with exhibits from 1798 to 1945. The principal display item is the George Cross, awarded to the whole population on April 15, 1942.
Other exhibits include a wingless Faith, one of the three Gloucester Gladiator bi-planes - nicknamed Faith, Hope and Charity - which were the sum total of the Allies' air-preparedness in the first weeks of the war. There is also an E-Boat or Barchiono Esplosivo, which is a speed boat full of explosives, and General Eisenhower's Willis Jeep used in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily in 1943.
The entrance is by the east end of the French Curtain. The museum houses a small and poignant collection with exhibits from 1798 to 1945. The principal display item is the George Cross, awarded to the whole population on April 15, 1942.
Other exhibits include a wingless Faith, one of the three Gloucester Gladiator bi-planes - nicknamed Faith, Hope and Charity - which were the sum total of the Allies' air-preparedness in the first weeks of the war. There is also an E-Boat or Barchiono Esplosivo, which is a speed boat full of explosives, and General Eisenhower's Willis Jeep used in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily in 1943.
Hours
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | 13:00 | 9:00 |
| Close | 17:00 | 17:00 |
