Dragonara Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz tad-Dragunara), also known as Palazzo Dragonara or Villa Dragonara, is a

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

St. Julian's Saint Julian's ( mt, San Ġiljan) is a town in the Central Region of Malta. As of 2020, its registered number of inhabitants stands at 13,792. It is situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-or ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It was built in 1870 as a summer residence for the Scicluna family, and it is now a

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live enterta ...

called Dragonara Casino.

Etymology

The palace is named after Dragonara Point, the

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

on which it was built. According to local legends, a

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

lived in caves near the peninsula, but the roaring which was heard was probably the sound of the waves hitting the rocks or the howling of the wind. It is believed that the rumours of the dragon were spread by

smuggler Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

s to discourage people from going to the area. A more valid theory is that its name has been given because of the camp of Turgut Reis (known as Dragut) was in this area before the Great Siege battle on 1565, Dragut few years before conquested Gozo and moved a contingency in the area. Dragut died about 3 km away from this point, in nautical charters it is still known as Dragut Point but today is commonly known as Tignè Point because of the freemason who occupied the area just after the siege.

History

Dragonara Palace former gardens and pathway

The Dragonara Palace was built in 1870 on Dragonara Point, which had been previously occupied by

Ta' Għemmuna Battery Ta' Għemmuna Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Għemmuna) was an artillery battery in St. Julian's, Malta, that was built by Maltese insurgents during the French blockade of 1798–1800. The battery was located at Dragonara Point, in front of the Hospi ...

. The peninsula where it is built was originally known as Għemmuna Point. The palace served as the summer residence of Emmanuele Scicluna, a banker who became a

marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

in 1875. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, it was temporarily used as an officers'

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergen ...

. Later on, the Scicluna family hosted over 100 refugees in the palace during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The palace opened as a

on 15 July 1964, at a time when nearby

Paceville Paceville ( sometimes abbreviated PV) is a district in St Julian's which is the main nightlife hub in Malta, being heavily populated with nightclubs, bars, stripclubs, pubs and restaurants, it is hence also known as 'Malta's Sin City'. Paceville ...

began its transition from a mainly agricultural area to a tourist hub. The Dragonara Casino was the first casino in Malta, and this was a major step in establishing Malta as a tourist destination. In the 1990s,

The Westin Dragonara The Westin Dragonara Hotel is a hotel in Paceville, St. Julian's, Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between I ...

hotel was built on part of the palace's gardens. The casino was privatized in 1999, and the company Dragonara Casino Ltd was set up to run the business for 10 years. The palace was restored in 2008. Two years later, the casino was taken over by Dragonara Gaming Ltd, who have spent over €15 million in renovating the building. It receives about 350,000 patrons annually, making it the most popular casino in Malta. The palace is listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mo ...

Architecture

Dragonara Palace is built in

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

, and its colonnades are inspired by those of

Villa Portelli A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

and

Palazzo Capua Palazzo Capua, also known as Capua Palace, is an early 19th-century Neoclassic palace in Sliema, Malta. It was built by a Russian banker who named it Selma Hall. It later came into the possession of the Prince of Capua Carlo de Borbon, and his wif ...

. The design of the Dragonara Palace later inspired the colonnades of

Palazzo Pescatore Palazzo Pescatore is a palace in St. Paul's Bay, Malta. It was built in the late 19th century. Its symmetrical porticoed façades of neo-classical inspiration are similar to those of Palazzo Dragonara in St. Julian's. Architecture The building ...

, which was built in

St. Paul's Bay St. Paul's Bay ( mt, San Pawl il-Baħar) is a town in the Northern Region of Malta, sixteen kilometres () northwest of the capital Valletta. Saint Paul's Bay is the largest town in the Northern Region and the seat of the Northern Regional Comm ...

in the late 19th century. The palace's architect is not known, but it is sometimes attributed to

Giuseppe Bonavia Giuseppe Bonavia (1821 – 2 September 1885) was a Maltese draughtsman and architect who was mainly active in the second half of the 19th century. Born in Valletta, he was initially a clerk of works with the Royal Engineers, before becoming the ...

Palace

The palace originally consisted of a colonnaded

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became ...

with a central

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

. The Scicluna family leased the property in 1964 to the Kursaal Company Limited when the courtyard was roofed becoming the casino's gaming rooms and the Slots Palace was built at the back, which were designed by

Dom Mintoff Dominic Mintoff, ( mt, Duminku Mintoff, ; often called ''il-Perit'', "the Architect"; 6 August 1916 – 20 August 2012) was a Maltese Socialist politician, architect, and civil engineer who was leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 198 ...

, an architect who eventually became

Prime Minister of Malta The prime minister of Malta ( mt, Prim Ministru ta' Malta) is the head of government, which is the highest official of Malta. The Prime Minister chairs Cabinet meetings, and selects its ministers to serve in their respective portfolios. The P ...

. At this stage the Sheraton Hotel was built on the ground of the palace's gardens that was eventually replaced by

Gardens

When the palace was originally built, it was surrounded by extensive gardens. Part of these were destroyed to make way for

hotel and the casino's

parking lot A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

. The palace's Sunken Garden, which contains a number of fountains and olive trees, is now located within the grounds of

Art

Main entrance

The main entrance into the palace's gardens consists of an

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vau ...

with the inscription ''Deus Nobis Haec Otia Fecit'', meaning "God made these leisures for us". It is designated as a Grade 1 property by the

Malta Environment and Planning Authority The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA, mt, L-Awtorità ta' Malta dwar l-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar) was the national agency responsible for the environment and planning in Malta. It was established to regulate the environment and planning ...

Statue of Neptune

A fountain containing a statue of

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 time ...

was located at the entrance of the palace, just after the path leading from the gardens. The statue was built in the 19th century, but it is inspired by an earlier statue of Neptune which is now found in the courtyard of the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta. The fountain and statue are now located inside the palace for their preservation.

Statue of Marquis Scicluna

Since the statue of Neptune was relocated to the palace, a life-sized statue of Marquis Emmanuele Scicluna has been located in its place. The statue was designed by the Italian sculptor Giulio Moschetti,Agius 2014, p. 19. and it was restored in 2014.

Egyptian caryatids

Two Egyptian-style

caryatid A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...

s are located near the palace's doorway, supporting the building.

Frescoes

Some rooms of the palace contain

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plast ...

es painted by Vincenzo Maria Cremona. The fresco in the Yellow Room shows military and floral paraphernalia, as well as a bird holding a garland of roses. The ceiling panels of the Green Room has frescoes showing a personification of industry.Agius 2014, pp. 44–49.

References

Sources

External links

{{commons category, Dragonara Palace
Official website
Palaces in Malta Casinos in Malta Neoclassical architecture in Malta Buildings and structures completed in 1870 St. Julian's, Malta Defunct hospitals in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 1870 establishments in Malta