Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of

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 ...

in the

Northern Harbour District Malta is for non-local government purposes divided into districts as opposed to the local government localities. The three main types of such districts – statistical, electoral at national level, and policing – have no mainstream admin ...

. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the most densely populated town on the island. Lining the coastline is a promenade known as the Sliema Front that has become the ideal spot for joggers and walkers as well as a prolific meeting place for locals during the summer season. Romantic moon strolls, barbeques and open air restaurants and cafes have made Sliema the hub of social nightlife. Sliema is also known for its numerous rocky beaches, water sports and hotels. Sliema, which means 'peace, comfort', was once a quiet fishing village on the peninsula across Marsamxett Harbour from

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

and has views of the capital city. The population began to grow in 1853 and the town was declared a parish in 1878. Now Sliema and the coastline up to neighbouring

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 ...

constitutes Malta's main coastal resort. Sliema is considered a desirable place to live and is relatively affluent, with extremely high property prices compared to the national average. Historically, stylish villas and traditional Maltese townhouses lined the streets of Sliema. Sliema has now been ringed with modern apartment blocks, some of which are amongst the tallest buildings in Malta. This has resulted in significant traffic, parking and construction-related

noise pollution Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them are harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is main ...

issues. Residents of Sliema are stereotypically known for their usage of English as a first language, although this is changing in the 21st century due to demographic shifts. Maltese people from Sliema are referred to as .

Etymology

is the Maltese word meaning peace and was used to salute someone. The triconsonantal root of the word is Š-L-M. Sliema may have gotten its name from the Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel, that now no longer exists. It periodically served as a reference point for the sailors and fishermen in Marsamxett Harbour. The construction age of the church is unknown but it was included in a map by the

Order of St. 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 headqu ...

even before being handed the Maltese islands to them. The name could thus be connected with the first words of the

Hail Mary The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...

prayer, which in

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

is . There is also a possibility that the origin is from an Arabic first name or a Hebrew family name.

History

The Knights of Malta Period

At the Great Siege of 1565, il-Qortin, as it was then known, was a camp centre for

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

troops led by Dragut. He met his fate there, having been killed by a bombardment from Fort St. Elmo at the other flank of Marsamxett Harbour, where Sliema stands.

Fort Tigné Fort Tigné ( mt, Il-Forti Tigné - Il-Fortizza ta' Tigné) is a polygonal fort in Tigné Point, Sliema, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 1795 to protect the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour, and it is one of the o ...

was eventually built by the

Knights of St. 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 ...

in the late 18th century and further developed by the British in later years. Parroquia de Sliema

78980 In 1855 a new church dedicated to Our Lady Star of the Sea ("Stella Maris") was opened to public worship. Around the new church, the small village grew into a town. By 1878, the population grew to such an extent that the religious authorities had the Stella Maris Church declared a parish in its own right and it was separated from St.Helen's parish of

Birkirkara Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara) is a city in the central region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous parishes: Saint Helen, Saint Joseph the Worker, Ou ...

. The town began to develop rapidly in the second half of the 19th century, becoming popular as a summer resort for wealthier

residents. Their elegant villas and town houses lined the quiet, inland streets. Various

Victorian building Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

s graced its three-kilometre sea promenade which overlooked rugged rocks, farms and even a small sandy beach. In 1990 one of these farms which had been abandoned was transformed into a coastline garden known as (Independence Garden). A few Victorian, as well as

art nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

houses, still remain in the inner streets, although only a handful remain along the shoreline, as there has been significant modern development of apartment blocks and hotels. A distinctive group of six traditional houses with Maltese balconies has survived remarkably intact at Belvedere Terrace, set back from Ix-Xatt (the Strand). These houses overlook

Manoel Island Manoel Island ( mt, Il-Gżira Manoel), formerly known as Bishop's Island ( mt, Il-Gżira tal-Isqof, it, Isola del Vescovo) or the ''Isolotto'', is a small island which forms part of the municipality of Gżira in Marsamxett Harbour, Malta. It is n ...

to the South across the Sliema Creek; the houses have heritage protection and the lower buildings between them and Ix-Xatt cannot be built upwards. The British built a number of fortifications on the Sliema peninsula in the 19th century. These were

Sliema Point Battery Sliema Point Battery ( mt, Batterija tal-Ponta ta' Tas-Sliema), also known as Fort Sliema ( mt, Il-Fortizza ta' Tas-Sliema), is an artillery battery in Sliema, Malta. It was built by the British between 1872 and 1876. The battery stands on the pe ...

(1872–76),

Cambridge Battery Cambridge Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Cambridge) is a Victorian-era battery in Sliema, Malta. It is commonly referred to as Fort Cambridge ( mt, Forti Cambridge), although it was never classified as a fort while in use. It originally contained an ...

(1878–86) and

Garden Battery Garden Battery is an artillery battery in Sliema, Malta. It was built by the British between 1889 and 1894. The battery is located at Tigné Point, between Cambridge Battery and Fort Tigné. History The battery was first proposed in 1885, and was ...

(1889–94). In addition, the 18th century Fort Tigné remained in use as well, and barracks were built on the Tigné peninsula. In 1881 the first sea water distillery on the island was erected in Sliema in order to provide water to the Tigné barracks. In 1882 the distillery was decommissioned and the building, which still stands today, has been occupied by a printing press since that time. The barracks it supplied water to were demolished in 2001 in order to make way for the development of Tigné Point development. The town has a considerable number of streets connected with the British era in Malta, such as Norfolk Street, Amery Street, Windsor Terrace, Graham Street, Milner Street and Fort Cambridge. In 1941, during 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 opposin ...

Siege of Malta, Sliema was hit by some Axis bombers during an air raid that caused the death of 21 civilians. File:Construction of the Sliema promenade, Malta.jpg, Construction of the Sliema promenade, ca. 1890 File:Cinema_Gajety,_Sliema_1958.jpg, Cinema Gaiety and Barclay's Bank, 1958 File:Barclay's Bank, Sliema 1958.jpg, Barclay's Bank, 1958 File:Sliema by night 1958.jpg, Sliema by night, 1958 Malta telephonecell

Post-Independence

Sliema has been the site of intensive development in recent decades. The Victorian houses that lined Tower Road have all been replaced by apartment buildings built in modern architectural style. Several of these have views of the Mediterranean Sea or Valletta but their development has been controversial. The promenade has been upgraded in the late 1990s and is a common spot for leisurely walking, particularly on warm summer nights when it remains crowded into the early hours of the morning. Shopping is primarily centred in an area called the Ferries (the Strand or ix-Xatt, Tower Road and Bisazza Street) and the more recently opened Tigne Point shopping mall. Restaurants and cafes can be found along the promenade. Development, high population density, parking issues, and high property prices have led many younger people originally from the area are choosing to live elsewhere on the island and consequently Sliema is suffering from an aging population. There are several foreign expatriates who reside in Sliema. There remains net inward migration to Sliema. The prevalence of use amongst Sliema residents of English as a first language is decreasing although remains significantly higher than other localities on the island. Code-switching in English sentences with peppered Maltese words and phrases is relatively common in Sliema, as well as

, Pembroke, Swieqi, Madliena,

San Ġwann San Ġwann is a town in the Central Region of Malta, with a population of 14,244 as of 2021. Previous to its separate administration the town used to form part of two separate localities being Birkirkara and St. Julian's. Places and monuments ...

and

Kappara Il-Kappara is a hamlet in Malta, situated between San Ġwann, St. Julian's and Gżira. Kappara is mainly part of San Ġwann. Buildings in Kappara * Antonio Bosio Secondary School * Chiswick House School * Ta' Ċieda Tower * Ta' Xindi Farmhou ...

, although there are several individuals who speak exclusively in English or Maltese without mixing the two (see

Maltenglish Maltenglish, also known as Manglish, Minglish, Maltese English, ' or refers to the phenomenon of code-switching between Maltese, a Semitic language derived from late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance superstrata, and English, an Indo-Euro ...

). There are a number of Maltese people who are fluent in English but struggle with the Maltese language, and this reflects use of English at home and at English-speaking schools. Despite some misconceptions and stereotypes, the vast majority of people from Sliema are fluent in Maltese and speak it as a first language. Malta - Sliema - Triq it-Torri + Gnien l-Indipendenza 01 ies

Malta - Sliema - Triq it-Torri + Gnien l-Indipendenza 01 ies

Malta - Sliema (Triq Ix-Xatt (Gzira)) 07 ies

Population and notable residents

The population of Sliema is over 20,000 and has a significant turnover of foreign expatriates who reside temporarily. The town was the residence of the late

Giorgio Borġ Olivier Giorgio Borg Olivier, ( mt, Ġorġ Borg Olivier) (5 July 1911 – 29 October 1980) was a Maltese statesman and leading politician. He twice served as Prime Minister of Malta (1950–55 and 1962–71) as the Leader of the Nationalist Party. H ...

, former prime minister and architect of Malta's independence and the temporary residence of

Manwel Dimech Manwel Dimech, also known as Manuel Dimech (25 December 1860 – 17 April 1921) was a Maltese socialist, philosopher, journalist, writer, poet and social revolutionary. Born in Valletta and brought up in extreme poverty and illiteracy, Dimech spe ...

who was one of Malta's foremost revolutionary thinkers at the turn of the 20th century. He died in exile in Egypt and Lower Prince of Wales Road was renamed in his honour. Tas-Sliema is also the hometown of footballer

Michael Mifsud Michael Mifsud (born 17 April 1981) is a Maltese professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Maltese Premier League side Mosta F.C., Mosta. He scored 42 goals in 143 games for the Malta ...

and music artist

Ira Losco Ira Losco M.Q.R. (born 31 July 1981) is a Maltese pop singer. Her career breakthrough came in 2002, when she represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "7th Wonder". She placed second in the competition, Malta's best ...

. Due to the iGaming industry's introduction in Malta, Sliema has also seen a huge influx of foreigners, primarily from Scandinavia. It was the birthplace of several famous people: former prime minister

Alfred Sant Alfred Sant, (born 28 February 1948 in Sliema, tas-Sliema) is a Malta, Maltese politician and a novelist. He led the Labour Party (Malta), Labour Party from 1992 to 2008 and served as Prime Minister of Malta between 1996 and 1998 and as Leade ...

; Michael Falzon of the Malta Labour Party; George Stivala, High Commissioner for Malta in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s; Archbishop George Caruana (1882–1951), the venerable Don Nazzareno Camilleri (1906–1973), British journalist Peter Hitchens, vocalist Marc Storace of the Swiss heavy metal band Krokus, and Dublin-based singer/songwriter

Adrian Crowley Adrian Crowley is a singer, composer, songwriter, lyricist from Galway, based in Dublin and was born in Sliema, Malta. Crowley has released eight albums to date, with his debut ''A Strange Kind'' arriving in 1999. He followed this with ''When ...

. Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien has a "residential address" as Flat 6/60, Suite F, Tigne Street in Sliema, according to O'Brien's own filing with the Companies Registration Office (CRO). The Maltese-born, American-naturalized actor

Joseph Calleia Joseph Calleia ( ; born Joseph Alexander Caesar Herstall Vincent Calleja, August 4, 1897 – October 31, 1975) was a Maltese-born American actor and singer on the stage and in films, radio and television. After serving in the British Transport ...

lived in Sliema from his retirement in 1963 to his death in 1975. *

John A. Gauci-Maistre John A. Gauci-Maistre was born in Sliema in 1947, the son of the late Judge Agostino Gauci-Maistre and Winnifred Mifsud. He attended the St. Aloysius College in Malta and after completing his studies he swiftly moved into a business career in the ...

, Maltese businessperson

Education

A list of schools in Sliema: *St. Joseph School Sliema *St. Francis Girl's Secondary School *St. Dorothys *St Patricks *Ursuline Creche *St Benilds *Government Primary School

English Language Schools

*Language Studies International (LSI) *Geos English Language School * School of Languages *Linguatime School of English – Tower Road *IELS – Mattew Pulis Street *AM Language School *ECS English Communication School *English Language Academy *Maltalingua *LAL - Language Centres Malta

Landmarks

* Stella Maris Church (Our Lady Star of the Sea) – Mother Parish of Sliema, est 1878 * Sacro Cuor Parish Church (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) * Gesu' Nazzarenu Parish Church * San Girgor Parish Church * The Chapel of Our Lady of Graces *

Tigné Point Tigné Point is a peninsula in Sliema, Malta. The area was originally occupied by several fortifications and a British barracks complex, which were left derelict for many years, until the area was redeveloped in the early 21st century. The area ...

(Il-Fortizza) * St. Julian's Tower *

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 ...

* Exiles Beach * Independence Gardens (Ġnien l-Independenza) * The Three Trees (It-tlett Siġriet) * Chalet (now demolished)

Churches

Sliema has a number of Catholic churches such as the one dedicated to

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

known as , three dedicated to Our Lady: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, particularly within the Catholic Church. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Ca ...

and Stella Maris (which is the oldest Catholic church and thus the mother church dating from 1855) and one dedicated to

Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

. In addition to the above list of churches, is the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Holy Trinity Church Built in 1866 in Rudolphe Street.

Feasts

Like all Maltese towns and villages, the annual Sliema parish feasts are popular especially those held in honour of the Our Lady Stella Maris (August) and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Madonna tas-Sacro Cuor) in July. Other feasts celebrated in the locality are those in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July) and St. Gregory (September)

Band clubs

Sliema also has four band clubs which take part in the parish feasts held in the summer months and are active all year round. These societies are

Stella Maris Band Club Stella or STELLA may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Comedy *Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain Characters *Stella (given name), including a list of characters with th ...

(founded in 1914), The "Societa' Filarmonica SLIEMA" Band Club (founded in 1923). Mount Carmel Band Club (1987) and St. Gregory Band Club (1987).

Sports

Tas-Sliema's football club, Sliema Wanderers is one of the most successful on the island, having won the domestic league no less than 26 times. The Football nursery can be found in the Tigne Sports Complex. Sliema Aquatic Sports Club is also the leading club in

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

, winning a total of 31 leagues and 25 cups since 1912. Their main rivals are the Balluta Bay Side

Neptunes WPSC Neptunes WPSC is a water polo and swimming club, founded in 1929, based in Balluta Bay, Saint Julian's, Malta. Water polo Neptunes WPSC won 26 summer leagues and 21 winter leagues. Neptunes WPSC have had many great foreigners, such as Vladimir V ...

. Sliema Aquatic Sports Club is not only a water polo club but also a swimming club from where many famous swimmers trained and also became national record holders. Another team hailing from Sliema is

Exiles S.C. Exiles Sports Club is a Maltese waterpolo team (it also has a swimming team), currently playing in the top tier Maltese Waterpolo Premier League. The club was founded in 1967 and hails from Sliema. The team is currently known as Exiles Elia Cate ...

Furthermore, Sliema is also represented in Rugby by

Stompers RFC Stompers RFC is a Maltese rugby club based in Sliema. They currently compete in the Malta Rugby Union Championship. History The club was founded in 1996. In season 2015/16, the club signed an agreement with the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji and ...

Sliema Fight Co.
based within the Preluna Hotel complex also has its own Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts team.

Scouting

The 1st Sliema Scout Group (Bernard's Own) is the oldest surviving Scout Group outside the United Kingdom and was founded in 1909 by Sir Edgar Bernard^th and are still a major influence on

Scouting in Malta The Scout and Guide movement in Malta is served by three organizations: * The Malta Girl Guides Association, member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts * The Scout Association of Malta, member of the World Organization of the Sco ...

. Over the years, the Sliema Group has collected a wealth of scouting tradition and has proudly passed this knowledge on from generation to generation.

Zones in Tas-Sliema

*The Ferries *Font Għadir *Fortina *Għar id-Dud *Qui-Si-Sana *Savoy *Surfside *The Strand *Tlett Siġriet *Lazy Corner *

*Exiles

Sliema main roads

*Ix-Xatt (The Strand) *Triq Bisazza (Bisazza Street – a pedestrian commercial street) *Triq il-Kbira (Main Street) *Triq it-Torri (Tower Road) *Triq Manwel Dimech (Manoel Dimech Street) *Triq Rudolfu (Rodolph Street) *Triq Sir

Adrian Dingli Sir Adrian "Adriano" Dingli (8 October 1817 – 25 November 1900) was Chief Justice of Malta. Life He was born in Valletta, the son of Sir Paolo Dingli, a lawyer who became President of the Court of Appeal.twinned with: *

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...

, Poland *

Muret Muret (; in Gascon Occitan ''Murèth'') is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Muretains''. It is an outer suburb of the city o ...

, France

References

External links

Sliema Local Council
{{Authority control Articles containing video clips Local councils of Malta Towns in Malta