Karin Grech Garden ( Maltese: Ġnien Karin Grech), officially Karin Grech Playing Field, is a public garden and

playing field Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...

in San Ġwann,

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 ...

. The garden is named after

Karin Grech Karin Maria Grech (1962 – 28 December 1977) was the daughter of Professor Edwin Grech, then head of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at St. Luke's Hospital, Malta. In 1977, aged 15, she was killed by a letterbomb addressed t ...

, a letterbomb victim.

Location

Karin Grech Garden is located at Vjal Ir-Rihan (Rihan Road), at the front of San Ġwann Parish Church dedicated to

Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (french: Notre-Dame de Lourdes) is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, ...

History

Before the creation of the garden the site consisted of natural

fauna and flora In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fungi; ...

, used as

agricultural land Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with ...

from the times of the Romans until the middle of the 20th century, and since then rehabilitated as a public garden. Before, during and mainly after the

Second World War 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

several Maltese and British families flocked out of

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...

, the

Three Cities The Three Cities ( mt, It-Tlett Ibliet) is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua in Malta. The oldest of the Three Cities is Vittoriosa, which has existed since prior to the Middle Ages. ...

Cottonera The Three Cities ( mt, It-Tlett Ibliet) is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua in Malta. The oldest of the Three Cities is Vittoriosa, which has existed since prior to the Middle Ages. Th ...

and the surrounding suburbs and moved to San Gwann as a general consequence of the war; they moved out initially to avoid the bombardment targeting the

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, a ...

area. With the growing population in San Ġwann, Maltese politicians and the community have pushed for a public garden to provide a recreational area. The garden was for many years the only

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

public garden in San Ġwann, with other gardens having been created over time. The garden was built in the memory of Karin Maria Grech in 1981. In March 2020, the playing field was damaged due to a car chase crash on site.

Naming of the garden

Flowers_laid_at_the_monument_of_Karen_Maria_Grech

The garden was initially referred to simply as ''il-gnien'' (the garden) for some time, before being named the Karin Grech Playing Field (Ġnien Karin Grech). The garden was named after Karin Maria Grech, a victim of a

letter bomb A letter bomb, also called parcel bomb, mail bomb, package bomb, note bomb, message bomb, gift bomb, present bomb, delivery bomb, surprise bomb, postal bomb, or post bomb, is an explosive device sent via the postal service, and designed with t ...

attack. The main feature of the garden is the monument of Karin Grech that is a

commemoration Commemoration may refer to: *Commemoration (Anglicanism), a religious observance in Churches of the Anglican Communion *Commemoration (liturgy) In the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church, a commemoration is the recital, within the Li ...

monument of her being a victim in a political crisis concerning her father Edwin Grech, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the time of the 1977 doctors' strike A yearly event takes place in December, were flowers are laid at the monument.

Plaques and Monuments

Official opening plaque

On the plaque commemorating the official opening is written:

The monument

On the Karin Maria Grech Monument is written:

Modernization of the playing field

Karin Grech Playing field underwent some refurbishment to modernise the playing facilities. On the re-opening of the playing a plaque was uncovered saying:

Freedom Day Monument

Another monument at the garden commemorates ''Freedom day'' of 1979. On the plaque is written:

Architecture

The present design of the garden is a modest design. The playing field was last refurbished by the San Ġwann Local Council who took care to adapt it with contextual modernisation.

References

{{Reflist San Ġwann Gardens in Malta