St. Elmo's Fire

Although many tourists come to Malta for the sun, sea and nightlife, rich history and illustrates this Mediterranean island has also a wealth of buildings and sites archealogical. The variety of forts still standing on the island offers a unique insight into the battles and the great empires of the past and offer visitors a glimpse of times long gone in many other places.

Fort St. Elmo is in the context of what is now the bastions Valletta Valletta is the capital of Malta. Initially, the site of a watchtower building began in 1533, after the arrival of the Knights of Malta in 1530. Later, he was Italian, French, Spanish and British architectural influences that govern the construction of what is now known as Fort St. Elmo. When the Ottoman Empire laid siege to the island of Malta in 1565, St. Elmo became a strong work, and was the scene of the fiercest battles of the siege, with its garrison of 100 hundred knights and seven hundred keepers of the Turkish army at a distance for over a month until the fort was finally dropped. The fort is still in working order today, and houses the headquarters of the Police Department and the War Museum where the original George Cross awarded to Malta, is still displayed.

Fort St. Angelo was the home of the powerful family Nava in the 14th century - the feudal lords of Aragon Malta at the time. The current site goes back to early medieval times and was probably built by the Arab leaders of the island in the 11th century, but the exact date of construction remains unknown. The Knights of Malta has decided to do this very seat of their Grand Master after their arrival in 1530, and Fort St.Angelo withstood the bombardment of the Turks during the siege of the Ottoman Empire in 1565. After the siege, the Knights of Malta built the great fortress city of Valletta, and moved their headquarters, but Fort St.Angelo remains to this day leased in part to the Knights of St. John, and is also the site of the Maritime Museum.

Fort Sainte-Agathe in Mellieha, north of the island is also known as the Red Fort because of its distinctive coloration. Created by order of Grand Master Lascaris Knights of Malta, the fort protected against the Ottoman Empire, and the Corsairs. It offers a magnificent view of Mellieha Bay, and from this point of view would have been able to closely observe the enemy ships in the north of the island. After its completion in 1648, it contained a garrison of 30 men and artillery in 1649, and was a key position to watch the Knights. It is still open today.

There are many other forts on the island, all with a rich story to tell of times past and the heroic. The fighting has endured great Malta have always been the result of its strategic position between Europe and Africa, serving as a source of supply, trading, and a military base for countless empires through the ages. But not only soldiers who have left their mark on the island. As empires and nations come and go, they have also left traces of their religious beliefs and practices, and apart from his wonderful military, Malta is also home to some of the oldest religious sites and temples all over there before even the great pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge. For the traveler who is interested in more than modern culture, the history of Malta and the history of great nations form the fabric of the modern landscape of the island.