The Falca Lines, also known as the Falca Gap Entrenchment ( mt, Trunċiera ta' Falca Gap), are an infantry entrenchment in northern

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 ...

, located on the limits of

Mġarr Mġarr ( mt, L-Imġarr), formerly known as ''Mgiarro'', is a village in the Northern Region of Malta. Mġarr is a typical rural village situated in an isolated region, west of Mosta. It is surrounded with rich farmland and vineyards. Many of it ...

and St. Paul's Bay. The lines were built in the 18th century by the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

, and today lie in ruins.

History

The Falca Lines are part of a series of fortifications built by the Order of Saint John in the early 18th century. The building programme began in 1714–16 with the construction of

coastal batteries Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

s and coastal entrenchments. By 1722, it was realised that there weren't enough soldiers to man all the fortifications, so the Order decided that in the case of an invasion, they would retreat to the Great Fault, a large fault cutting across northern Malta. To be able to do this, a series of entrenchments began to be constructed next to the fault. These entrenchments were similar to the ones built around the coastline, with the main difference being that they were inland. The Falca Lines were built to flank what is known as the

Falca Gap Mociu ( hu, Mócs) is a commune in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of nine villages: Boteni (''Botháza''), Chesău (''Mezőkeszü''), Crișeni (''Tótháza''), Falca (''Falka''), Ghirișu Român (''Mezőgyéres''), Mociu, Ro ...

, while other entrenchments were built at

Naxxar Naxxar ( mt, In-Naxxar) is a small city in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 14,891 people as of March 2014. The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The annual village feast is celebrated on 8 September. Naxx ...

, San Pawl tat-Tarġa and other strategic locations. Construction of the Falca Lines began sometime after 1723, and they were completed by 1732. They consisted of a bastion in the centre, flanked by curtain walls on either side. The curtain walls contained several

redan Redan (a French word for "projection", "salient") is a feature of fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient angle towards an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material. The redan developed from the lunette, ...

s. The Falca Lines only saw use during the

French invasion of Malta The French invasion of Malta ( mt, Invażjoni Franċiża ta' Malta) was the successful invasion of the islands of Malta and Gozo, then ruled by the Order of St. John, by the French First Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte in June 1798 as part o ...

in 1798, when they were manned by the Naxxar militia. French forces managed to clear their position easily since they landed from behind the lines. In the 1880s, the British began to fortify the area once more with the construction of the

Victoria Lines The Victoria Lines, originally known as the North West Front, are a line of fortifications that spans 12 kilometres along the width of Malta, dividing the north of the island from the more heavily populated south. Location The Victoria Lines ru ...

(then known as the North West Front). The inclusion of the Falca Lines into the new fortifications was considered, but was eventually discarded since the position was unfavourable. Instead, the British built the Dwejra Lines further south of the Falca Lines.

Present day

Today, the entrenchment lies in ruins. Only one demi-bastion still exists more or less intact and its general outline is still visible. Part of the lines are severed by Triq Sir Temi Zammit, the road leading to Mġarr.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Entrenchments in Malta Buildings and structures completed in 1732 Hospitaller fortifications in Malta Mġarr St. Paul's Bay Ruins in Malta Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 18th-century fortifications 18th Century military history of Malta {{Malta-geo-stub